Dale Earnhardt Inc. officials are looking for a company to replace Pennzoil as the sponsor of the No.1 car after this season, a team official said Sunday. Pennzoil’s contract expires after the season, and the company will not renew that contract. Ty Norris, executive vice president of motorsports at Dale Earnhardt Inc., says that the group is talking to Pennzoil about remaining as an associate sponsor on the No.1 car along with those of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip.( Roanoke Times ) AND DEI’s No. 1 team will lose Pennzoil after this year, and Kraft had emerged as a possible replacement. Kraft already has associate deals with the three DEI teams, but team president Ty Norris said he does not expect Kraft to go too far too fast. “They step up their program every year,” he said. “It’s one thing to take a step, and it’s another to take a running leap to a Winston Cup primary. We’ve talked to them about it. Right now they’re pretty happy with the program they have. It makes sense for them financially, and they’re comfortable with their level of spending right now.” As for anything DEI might have going for the 1 car as of now, Norris said, “You look at it cold, medium, hot, I’d say we’re pretty cold right now.”( Speed Channel )(7-14-2003) UPDATE the official release: Pennzoil Products will end a six-season primary sponsorship agreement with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and the #1 Chevrolet team at the end of the 2003 season. Pennzoil, a Houston, Texas-based petroleum products corporation, became Dale Earnhardt, Inc.’s first full-time NASCAR Winston Cup sponsor in 1998, backing driver Steve Park in the #1 Chevrolet. Pennzoil, a Winston Cup primary since 1991, claimed its only victories in NASCAR’s elite division with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., winning at Watkins Glen, N.Y. in 2000 and Rockingham, N.C. in 2001. Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the company founded by the seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt, is optimistic that it can produce more victories for Pennzoil and attract a primary replacement before the end of the 2003 season. “Like Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Pennzoil has been through a lot of changes since we first signed our agreement in the fall of 1997,” said Ty Norris, Dale Earnhardt, Inc.’s Executive Vice President of Motorsports. “We promised to win races for Pennzoil, and we did. They promised to support Dale Earnhardt, Inc. through the growing pains of a new operation, and they did.. Pennzoil will always have a place in the history of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. We want to win before the end of the year and finish our great relationship on a high note.”( DEI PR )(7-26-2003) MORE: quote from DEI’s Ty Norris at the WSJ: ‘We’re very fortunate with Dale Jr. and Michael. They’ve been successful on track, and the sponsors are terrific, activating so well with all their promotions that they can justify it all. The way we’re going to market our third team is to leverage the association with Dale and Michael. We sell our company as a package.'( Winston Salem Journal lot of interesting stuff in this column – check it out)(7-27-2003)
