hearing that former #7 Robby Gordon Motorsports crew chief, Greg Erwin will be Biffle’s new crew chief. Also hearing that Aflac will sponsor the #16 Ford as the primary in a few races Ameriquest is supposed to sponsor. Ameriquest if looking to get out of their sponsor contract with Roush Fenway Racing.(5-23-2007) UPDATE: Aflac is on the verge of securing a multiyear team sponsorship deal with Roush Fenway Racing, Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal reports. Staff writer Michael Smith also cites sources who say that the company is talking to NASCAR about acquiring official status in the category of supplemental insurance. Aflac’s sponsorship with Roush Fenway is expected to include four Nextel Cup races this year as the primary sponsor on Greg Biffle’s #16 car. The car is sponsored by Ameriquest, a troubled subprime lender that has been looking to sell off races and get out of the final two years of its deal. Aflac also will be featured as a primary sponsor for four Busch Series races this year, the story says, and to settle into a full-time Busch Series sponsorship with Roush Fenway for 2008. An announcement about the sponsorship is expected sometime this month. The story also says that Aflac was involved in discussions with Dale Earnhardt Inc. for a deal that would have involved Dale Earnhardt Jr., but that deal fell through before Earnhardt’s announcement that he’d leave DEI.(SceneDaily.com)(6-4-2007) UPDATE 2: Roush Fenway Racing will announce the addition of a multi-team sponsor on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 9:30am/et at MIS with #16-Greg Biffle, #17-Matt Kenseth, #26-Jamie McMurray, #00-Carl Edwards and team owner Jack Roush.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(6-15-2007) UPDATE 3: With a successful acting career in television commercials and even movies, the Aflac Duck has added yet another role to its already impressive repertoire – race-car driving. Aflac Incorporated announced that it is partnering with Roush Fenway Racing to sponsor eight Nextel Cup and Busch Series races in the 2007 season. Greg Biffle will drive the #16 Aflac Ford for its debut at the Nextel Cup race on July 1 at New Hampshire International Speedway for a total of four races. Aflac is also sponsoring four Busch Series races with drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray. “We look forward to working with a world-class team like Roush Fenway Racing to bring the Aflac brand closer to NASCAR fans,” said Paul S. Amos II, president, Aflac; COO, U.S. Operations. “In addition to uniting with another great brand and working with these exciting drivers, this sponsorship will be a useful platform to build additional awareness of how our products can help consumers in their quest to balance everyday living expenses with out-of-pocket health care costs not covered by their existing major medical insurance.” The paint scheme was unveiled today at Michigan International Speedway and can be viewed at aflacracing.com. The Aflac Racing schedule below is also available on the Web site. Greg Biffle – #16 Aflac Ford, Nextek Cup Series: * July 1, New Hampshire International Speedway * July 15, Chicagoland Speedway * Sept. 2, California Speedway * Sept. 30, Kansas Speedway Carl Edwards – #60 Aflac Ford, Busch Series, July 6 at Daytona Matt Kenseth – #17 Aflac Ford, Busch Series, Aug. 11, Watkins Glen Jamie McMurray – #26 Aflac Ford, Busch Series, Aug. 24 at Bristol and Sept. 7 at Richmond To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com.(Roush Fenway Racing PR), see an image of the car on my Paint Schemes Gallery.(6-15-2007)
