It’s pretty safe to say that Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis has the racing itch.
Lemonis, fresh from announcing just a week ago that Camping World was returning as the title sponsor of the NASCAR Truck Series for 2021, has cast a line in the direction of the NHRA Drag Racing Series. The NHRA is in the market for a title sponsor after Coca-Cola informed the series that it was leaving.
The NHRA has filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola, alleging that the company is breaking a sponsorship agreement with the NHRA that was to run through 2023.
In the lawsuit, NHRA claims that Coca-Cola missed a $2.86 million payment on May 15. The sponsorship deal is a six-year agreement with Coca-Cola that calls for Coca-Cola to pay the NHRA $5.72 million per year.
The lawsuit also alleges that “Coca-Cola has seized on global tragedy, the COVID-19 pandemic, as a pretext to claim a “breach” and “terminate” the sponsorship agreement early to save money. But neither the Agreement nor the law allows Coca-Cola to do so. This action seeks to hold Coca-Cola to its contractual promises.”
Coca-Cola has been an NHRA sponsor since 2002. The company’s Powerade brand was the series title sponsor before it became the Full Throttle Series in 2009. It’s been the NHRA Mello Yello Series since 2012.
In the meantime, Lemonis may be looking to seize on another racing opportunity. On Tuesday, Lemonis tweeted his interest in getting involved with the NHRA.
Hey @NHRA we at @CampingWorld aren’t scared of our commitment to racing.. let’s sit down and talk sponsorship.. we’re good for it, just ask your friends at @NASCAR
Camping World was the title sponsor for the NASCAR Truck Series from 2009-18. Gander RV & Outdoors has been the title sponsor for the series the past two years. The series will return to its Camping World Truck Series name in 2021.
NHRA vice president of marketing and communications Jeffrey Young said that the series officials did, indeed see the tweet from Lemonis.
“Our team will hopefully be speaking with them,” Young told Autoweek.
Added president Glen Cromwell in a statement on Tuesday, “We deeply value our partnership with our sponsors, and many—like Coca-Cola—have been part of our racing community for many years. In September 2019, not long after their sponsorship was extended for 6 years and long before the pandemic brought so many sporting events to a screeching halt, Coca-Cola informed us that it wished to wind down its nearly 20-year NHRA sponsorship by the end of 2023 when the contract expires. While we were disappointed to lose a member of our racing family, we agreed to work together on a seamless transition. However, when the pandemic struck, Coca-Cola used this global tragedy as a pretext to attempt to unilaterally terminate its agreement with the NHRA.
“Although we attempted to negotiate a different outcome with Coca-Cola, the NHRA had no choice but to file a breach of contract lawsuit against the company today in the United States District Court of the Central District of California. The NHRA racing community comprises the greatest employees, drivers, fans, tracks, sponsors and partners, and we owe it to all of them to hold Coca-Cola to its promises.
“We are excited about our return to racing continuing into 2021, our 70th anniversary year, with a strong race schedule, and we will do that in partnership with some of the best sponsors in sports.”
NHRA responded to Camping World with its own tweet on Tuesday.
As for Lemonis, he’s already working on plans for NASCAR in 2021.
“The transition back to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series demonstrates the continued power of NASCAR’s brand-loyal fan base and creates a broader touch point with fans who are RV and Outdoor enthusiasts,” Lemonis said in a statement announcing Camping World’s return to NASCAR. “We leveraged the series to support the successful launch of our new brand in 2019, and look forward to celebrating the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion in November.
“The next generation of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is right around the corner and we’re committed to the series that has delivered for our customers, fans and the entire Camping World family of brands.”
