Hendrick Motorsports officially announced today that they have signed a deal for Nationwide Insurance to sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Sprint Cup Series ride beginning in 2015. Nationwide Insurance will be a primary partner for 12 Sprint Cup races in 2015 and 13 events in both 2016 and 2017.
“We are really excited to be able to announce the sponsorship with Nationwide as it continues to grow,” Earnhardt Jr. commented. “We have had a relationship with them for a very long time. It’s been successful on both sides. I’m really thrilled to be able to go to the next level with them and allow Hendrick Motorsports to be part of that. It’s a great fit. We’ve had a lot of fun together and I’m excited to be able to continue that relationship.”
It has been known for awhile that Earnhardt Jr.’s sponsorship fold was not full for the seasons to come as a result of Pepsi Corporation sponsoring less races moving forward versus when Earnhardt began at Hendrick Motorsports. Rather than put together a one or two race deal, Rick Hendrick has been adamant about finding a long-time partner and vowed to put his own company, Hendrick Cars, on the car until that partner was found.
Being able to find a sponsor who is willing to commit to a multi-year deal worth millions certainly shows the strength of the sport as it bounces back from the rough economic times.
“We are seeing a lot more interest on sponsors wanting to get on the quarter panels and the hoods of these race cars,” Earnhardt commented. “Whereas for a long time there was a lot more interest to be an official sponsor of the sport and more tied to the sport as a whole. Now we are seeing a lot more interest in guys wanting to get back on the quarter panels and hoods of these cars. I think that is really important to the health of the sport overall.”
One of the other things mentioned is how it used to be that you’d find one partner for the season – while now you’re looking for multiple partners over the course of the season. An example is Earnhardt as he has National Guard for 22 races, Mountain Dew/AMP and now Nationwide Insurance.
“I just think it’s an evolution of how sponsorships have changed,” Earnhardt explained. “Much like we used to think it was a wild thing when a guy would have two race cars out there. Instead of now a days there are owners that have four race cars and three race cars and that is the norm. It’s just the way things kind of evolve over time. I think that it’s really a lot busier when you have multiple partners and it’s a lot more entertaining and interesting as a driver for sure to have so many partners to work with. And have so many people across so many different – that can reach such an audience. I’m really enjoying having multiple people to work with each year.”
Nationwide has been involved with NASCAR since taking over sponsorship of the second-tier division. Their contract finishes up as sponsor with the division at the end of this year. Beginning to do commercials with Earnhardt in 2009, it seems to be a natural fit as the commercials have been a hit with the fans.
“The Earnhardt family has trusted Nationwide for their insurance needs for more than 35 years, and Dale Jr. has a positive impact on our brand’s reputation and brings pride to Nationwide members and our associates,” Matt Jauchius, chief marketing officer for Nationwide Insurance, said. “Expanding that relationship to incorporate the prestigious operations at Hendrick Motorsports and collaborating with Rick Hendrick and his team is a great fit for Nationwide Insurance.”
Earnhardt Jr. commented during his Talladega Superspeedway media availability that it says a lot for the direction that Nationwide Insurance wants to go as a company moving forward in their promotions.
Now with Nationwide’s next move determined, there are a lot of questions about which company could take over sponsoring the series beginning next season. While concerns have been spread about the possibility of a sponsor not being found, Earnhardt Jr. commented that it won’t be as tough as it may seem.
“I also believe from what I’ve been hearing behind the scenes that the opportunities and search for a title sponsor in the Nationwide Series won’t be a challenging one as there is some good interest there,” he said.
