hearing #9-Kasey Kahne has already signed with Budweiser, an announcement could be coming in the next couple of weeks.(8-3-2007) UPDATE: Kasey Kahne said a deal with sponsor Budweiser would be “awesome,” but that nothing has been signed yet. An Internet report on Friday said Budweiser had signed with Evernham Motorsports to be Kahne’s primary sponsor beginning in 2008. “I’ve been in some conversations, so I’d say it’s closer if they bring a driver into conversations,” Kahne said Saturday at Pocono Raceway. “And it went really well. But as far as anything signed, there’s nothing signed that I know of.”(SceneDaily.com)(8-4-2007) UPDATE 2: GEM and Kahne to announce sponsor on Tuesday: Gillett Evernham Motorsports has finalized a multi-year sponsorship for driver Kasey Kahne and the #9 Dodge. Gillett Evernham Motorsports principals George Gillett and Ray Evernham will make the formal announcement during a press conference at the team’s shop in Statesville, N.C. on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007. NASCAR fans can visit the Web sites of Gillett Evernham Motorsports (www.evernhammotorsports.com) and Kasey Kahne (www.kaseykahne.com) to watch a live Webcast of the press conference.(Career Sports Entertainment PR) UPDATE 3: As expected, Budweiser will become the primary sponsor for Kasey Kahne and the #9 Dodge in 2008, sources confirmed Thursday. The deal for Budweiser to sponsor Kahne has been in the works for more than two months. GEM officials first had to make sure Dodge representatives were OK with the change. The Dodge dealers sponsor two GEM cars — Kahne and the #19 driven by Elliott Sadler. Finalizing the deal with Budweiser also took longer than expected because all the parties had to agree on the percentages for licensing revenues.(ESPN.com)(9-14-2007) UPDATE 4: The fact Kasey Kahne will drive a Budweiser-sponsored Dodge in 2008 is old news. What’s interesting is that the #9 won’t be red in every race. In fact, sometimes it may be blue. Sources close to negotiations told ESPN.com on Sunday that one of Kahne’s current sponsors, likely Allstate, would serve as primary sponsor in “a couple of races.” (Which races the blue car would run was not known.) That would be a significant move; Anheuser-Busch isn’t apt to offer up the hood of its car to another sponsor. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has driven several different paint schemes during his eight full Nextel Cup seasons in the #8. But they all were Budweiser-sponsored. Kahne chose not to comment on the speculation Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway. Kahne’s team is the latest to move to multiple primary sponsorships. Given the hefty sum of money required to be competitive, more and more teams are divvying up primary sponsorships to more than one company.(ESPN.com)(9-17-2007)
