Kurt Busch has signed a multiyear extension with Penske Racing that includes moving from the #2 car with Miller Lite as his primary sponsor into the #22 with Shell/Pennzoil as the sponsor, team officials said on Wednesday. Brad Keselowski will move from Penske’s #12 car into the #2, with Miller Lite, which has been with the organization for 20 years, remaining the sponsor for the #2. Keselowski currently is sponsored by Verizon, but because of NASCAR’s exclusivity deal with Cup series sponsor Sprint, Verizon’s brand logo is not allowed on the car. “Brad is one of the hottest young drivers in NASCAR and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the Miller Lite Racing family,” said Andy England, chief marketing officer at MillerCoors. “Rarely in this sport are you presented with the opportunity to build a relationship with a top-tier driver at the start of his career.”
The addition of Shell/Pennzoil means that Mobil 1, a competing motor oil that sponsors Penske’s #77-Sam Hornish Jr., will not return in 2011. But Jonathon Gibson, the vice president of Penske Racing, said Penske is committed to remaining a three-car operation with Hornish in the third car. “We’ll be prepared to announce a new sponsorship deal for that car in the next few weeks or months,” Gibson said. “We’re very excited. For us to have the opportunity to bring in a great brand like Shell and extend our relationship with Miller puts us in a place where we can build for the future.”
Kevin Harvick, in the last year of his contract with Richard Childress Racing, is without a sponsor. Harvick is negotiating with RCR to find a new sponsor and stay with the company, according to a source. Harvick has been with RCR since he succeeded the late Dale Earnhardt in 2001. A source said discussions between RCR and Budweiser, in its last season with Richard Petty Motorsports’ #9-Kasey Kahne, have taken place. Kahne signed last week a deal with Hendrick Motorsports to replace Mark Martin in 2012 and drive a car to be determined by team owner Rick Hendrick in 2011.(ESPN.com)(4-21-2010)
