• Loading stock data...
Monday, July 14, 2025

Sponsorship Lacking for NASCAR’s Biggest Names

Danica Patrick speaks to the media while wearing her Tax Act fire suit. Nature's Bakery ended its sponsorship agreement with Patrick and her No. 10, but Tax Act and others still remain on board. Image from Racing News. 

Danica Patrick speaks to the media while wearing her Tax Act fire suit. Nature’s Bakery ended its sponsorship agreement with Patrick and her №10, but Tax Act and others still remain on board. Image from Racing News.

Sometimes the biggest names in sports lose sponsorships. The same can be said for multiple NASCAR drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Danica Patrick have all been hit with the unfortunate news that their sponsors would not return.

For Jr., the news came at the end of 2014 when National Guard announced it would no longer sponsor his №88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Jr. wasn’t without sponsorship for long, as Nationwide Insurance stepped up. With its logo on the hood of Jr.’s stock car and his likeness in several commercials, Nationwide added the 14-time Most Popular driver to a lineup of celebrity endorsers that includes Brad Paisley and Peyton Manning.

Kenseth has not been as fortunate as Jr. Dollar General left Kenseth at the end of 2016, ending its sponsorship in the sport. Currently, the popular NASCAR website Jayski says that Dewalt and Tide Pods will combine to sponsor 18 races, and a recent announcement was made that PEAK was coming on board the №20 Toyota for two races. That leaves 16 events where the 2003 champion needs sponsorship. Even for a past champion, the sponsorship offers aren’t flowing in.

Want more great content like this? Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

At least Kenseth had some warning. Patrick, it seems, was blindsided. The fifth-year driver entered into an agreement with Nature’s Bakery at the start of the 2016 season after GoDaddy announced it would no longer sponsor the driver of the №10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

Things appeared to go well between the two parties last season, but a piece of shocking news at NASCAR Media Day in Charlotte, North Carolina told the world otherwise. According to ESPN, SHR received $15 million from Nature’s Bakery in exchange for a 28-race sponsorship agreement, but eyebrows were raised when Patrick arrived at the Charlotte, North Carolina event wearing TaxAct colors on her fire suit.

Sure enough, something big was brewing. Nature’s Bakery, which completed the first year of its three-year agreement in 2016, announced that it was ending its sponsorship.

Patrick did not have to search far, as Aspen Dental stepped up its sponsorship to “double-digit” races, according to USAToday. With Aspen Dental increasing its agreement, and TaxAct also planning to sponsor three races, as well the potential of Mobil1 making an appearance on Patrick’s №10 Ford, she should be feeling much more secure than when the announcement that Nature’s Bakery was leaving happened.

Read More: Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Pennzoil Agree to Entitlement Sponsorship

While Earnhardt Jr. and Patrick have not had to do a large amount of talking to gain sponsors, at Stewart-Haas, sponsorship is still lacking for the №14 Ford driven by Clint Bowyer.

Boywer began the year with Mobil1 colors on his hood at the Daytona 500, but at Atlanta and Las Vegas, SHR co-owner Gene Haas put his company’s famous red and black look on Bowyer’s machine. According to Bob Pockrass, Stewart-Haas Racing has spent nearly 18 months attempting to lock down sponsorship for Bowyer to no avail.

The fact that longtime Bowyer sponsor Five-Hour Energy did not follow him to SHR and instead aligned themselves with the №77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota and driver Erik Jones certainly hurts. But thankfully, since sponsorships are hardly ever 100 percent nailed down at the start of the season, Bowyer can still receive sponsorship from a variety of companies on a race by race basis. The key? On track results, a beneficial partnership, and the ability to sell why the agreement would benefit both parties.

Sponsorships can be a tough sell, even for the biggest names in NASCAR. It takes months of negotiation and selling, with no guarantees of a deal ever getting done. Some drivers have been fortunate to find new sponsors, others not so much.

Tweet me your thoughts on sponsorship within NASCAR @Kraig_Doremus and be sure to follow Front Office Sports for the latest NASCAR news.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Amazon NASCAR Ratings Down 17%, but Skew Younger

Prime Video averaged 2.16 million per race during its five-event stretch.

MLB’s Bold Bristol Plan: Inside the Renovation and Potential Records

Work accelerates to convert the massive motorsports venue for baseball.
Jun 8, 2025; Brooklyn, Michigan, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) celebrates with his team, holding up three fingers, one for each of his victories at Michigan International Speedway, after winning the FireKeepers Casino 400.

Judge Urges Michael Jordan, Co-Plaintiffs to Settle With NASCAR

Jordan’s racing team filed a co-suit in October alleging antitrust practices.

NASCAR Amazon Ratings Down 25% From 2024 Fox Broadcasts

The streamer is averaging just over 2 million viewers per race.

Featured Today

May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.
July 12, 2025

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.
July 11, 2025

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Athlos
May 4, 2025

Nike Wants to Pull Off the First Women’s Sub-4:00 Mile

Experts speak on whether Nike’s “moonshot” is realistic or a gimmick.
Jul 19, 2024; Phoenix, Ariz., United States; Sheryl Swoopes hosts a WBNA All-Star brunch in honor of her former teammate, Nikki McCray Penson, at Thea in Phoenix on July 19, 2024
May 12, 2025

Sheryl Swoopes: A’ja Wilson Shoe Campaign Shows Nike Sea Change

Nike released the Air Swoopes in 1995.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Apr 12, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; MLB umpire Ron Kulpa (46) calls a third strike during a game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field
May 4, 2025

Pro Refs Get Offered Free Lasik for Better Calls. Some Took It

Some pro officials have sprung for the offer for free corrective surgery.
January 15, 2025

State Farm Cancels Planned Super Bowl Ad Amid California Fires Controversy

State Farm’s Super Bowl ad last year featured Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.
Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; From left: Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, Jason Kelce and Marcus Spears on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
December 17, 2024

A ‘Wave’ of Sports Content Is Coming to TikTok

The next generation is consuming sports in a different way.
Apr 7, 2022; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Rory McIlroy (left) and Brooks Koepka set up to putt on no. 9 during the first round of The Masters golf tournament.
November 27, 2024

PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf TV ‘Showdown’ Will Pay Out $10M Crypto..

Two golfers from each tour will face off in Las Vegas.