(photo courtesy jayski.com)
It is official, Budweiser will be the primary sponsor of the #29 RCR Chevy in 2011. The announcement, complete with its trademark Clydesdale horses, was made at the Richard Childress Racing shops, located in Welcome, N.C.
“Budweiser is one of the most respected sponsors in our sport,” said Harvick. “They do a lot to market their teams and the sport in television broadcasts and away from the track. I’m looking forward to driving the #29 Budweiser Chevrolet, taking it to Victory Lane and winning championships.”
The 2011 season will mark Harvick’s 10th full year in NASCAR’s top series. In 2001, he earned two victories en route to a ninth-place finish and Rookie of the Year honors. Harvick has 14 Sprint Cup Series wins, 72 top-five and 145 top-10 finishes, with major points victories coming in the 2003 Brickyard 400 and 2007 Daytona 500.
Since the introduction of the season-ending “Chase for the Sprint Cup” format in 2004, Harvick has made the Chase three times and on two occasions finished a career-high fourth in the final point standings. He is also the two-time and defending champion of the Budweiser Shootout (2009-2010).
Bud will be on the side of the # 29 car for the 20 points races and two special events beginning in 2011.
Budweiser had sponsored Dale Earnhardt Jr. until he moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. The St. Louis beer maker then switched over to the car of Kasey Kahne and RPM’s #9 Dodge/Ford.
But with Kahne set to move to Red Bull Racing next year and Hendrick Motorsports the year after, and Harvick’s deal with long-time sponsor Shell to move to Kurt Busch’s #22Penske Racing Dodge, there had been speculation about the future of Bud in the sport.
The speculation ended this morning.
So the first piece of the sponsorship puzzle has now fallen into place. Who will replace Budweiser at RPM? Who will fill the seat of the #9 RPM Ford?
Stay tuned for the rest of the story as it unfolds.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
