When Kevin Harvick leaves Richard Childress Racing at the end of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, he will take major sponsors Budweiser and Jimmy Johns along with him.
Reports surfaced last week that Harvick will bolt RCR at the conclusion of his current contract to race full-time for Stewart Haas Racing in 2014. And while neither Harvick, Childress nor SHR co-owner Tony Stewart have confirmed the move, a spokesman for Stewart admitted the team would love to sign a driver of Harvick’s caliber, if he were to become available. Now, multiple sources speaking on the condition of anonymity say that when the move comes, it will also include the sponsors that backed the No. 29 team in a combined 26 races this season; 20 for Budweiser and six for Jimmy John’s.
Budweiser’s parent company, Anheuser Busch, has traditionally chosen to align itself with individual drivers, rather than race teams. In the past, Budweiser has backed an all-star roster of drivers that includes former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Terry Labonte, Darrell Waltrip and Bill Elliott, along with Geoff Bodine, Ken Schrader, Ricky Craven, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kasey Kahne. In Harvick, sources say the company believes they have a “man’s man” type of driver who appeals to the brand’s core demographic group.
As a result, Anheuser Busch has reportedly agreed to accompany Harvick when he changes teams at the end of the 2013 campaign. Jimmy John’s has been a NASCAR sponsor since 2009, when it debuted on the quarter panels of Kevin Harvick, Inc.’s No. 33 Nationwide Series entries. They moved to Harvick’s RCR-owned Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet when KHI closed its doors at the end of last season. (Godfather Motorsports)
