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[/media-credit]The U.S Army will not continue its sponsorship with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in the No.39 car driven by Ryan Newman in 2013, ending a 10 year relationship.
“The U.S. Army has been a great partner of Stewart-Haas Racing since the team’s inception.” said Brett Frood, executive vice president of SHR.
According to Stewart-Hass racing on Tuesday, the decision was made because of “a reallocation of [the Army’s] marketing budget that will not include a presence in NASCAR.”
Earlier this year, the House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment that would prohibit the military from sponsorship of sports events, a sum estimated at more than $135 million per year, with the majority going to NASCAR-related sponsorships.
“The U.S. Army has worked with Stewart-Haas Racing in a mutually beneficial and highly successful relationship for the past four seasons.” said John Myers, Army marketing director. “And they’ve performed superbly as our partner on and off the track. The same can be said of other members of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series family we have sponsored during the past 10 seasons.”
At one point the U.S Air Force, National Guard, Navy and Coast Guard all had full season sponsorship’s with a NASCAR team.
SHR officials say they are now “actively pursuing” another brand for sponsorship.
“We remain very proud of our representation of the U.S. Army and its brave soldiers who are 100 percent committed to our country. We will continue to activate on behalf of the U.S. Army for the rest of 2012, while also growing our other dynamic partnerships at Stewart-Haas Racing for the future.” said John Myers, Director, Marketing Support Element, Army Marketing and Research Group.
