(WOMR file photo)
Joe Gibbs Racing announced today that Dollar General will up it’s commitment from sponsoring 12 races in 2012, to sponsoring 17 races in the Sprint Cup series in 2013. Dollar General CEO Rick Dreiling said, “Our goal is to grow into a full-time Cup ride,” Dreiling told USA Today Sports. “But it’s a little soon to commit if that’s going to be next year or two to four years from now. That’s all down the road.”
Additionally, Dollar General will sponsor a full-time car fielded by JGR for Brian Vickers in the Nationwide Series next season. Dreiling, who wouldn’t disclose figures but called the deal part of an “orderly, methodical growth”, said stock-car racing is the company’s only national sports sponsorship because of internal marketing research that indicates its customers are 30 times more likely to be NASCAR fans than average consumers.
Vickers will return to the Nationwide Series on a full-time basis in 2013, 10 years after he won three Nationwide races, and became the youngest driver to win the Series Championship at the age of 20. Most recently, Vickers spent the 2012 season driving a partial NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing, where he finished in the top 10 in five starts including three top-five efforts. He has two career wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Since 2003, Vickers has continued to compete in the Nationwide Series, often driving the Dollar General car. The 2013 season will mark Dollar General’s ninth year of NASCAR sponsorship, which will also continue to include two NASCAR Nationwide Series race sponsorships: The Dollar General 300 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and The Dollar General 300 Powered by Coca-Cola at Chicagoland Speedway.(Joe Gibbs Racing)
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
