Vickers To Race For Nationwide Title With JGR In 2013

Vickers has a new 2013 ride

Joe Gibbs Racing announced today that it has signed a new expanded partnership agreement with Dollar General for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series'.  

Vickers will return to the Nationwide Series on a fulltime basis in 2013, a decade 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, recording five Top-10 and three Top-5 finishes. He has two career wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  

“I am fortunate to have raced with Dollar General before, and I am so excited to be reunited with Rick (Dreiling) and everyone involved with their program,” said Vickers. “Dollar General is a tremendous company, and its support and enthusiasm for racing is outstanding. I’m very happy to stay in the Toyota family, and when you look at the Nationwide Series over the past several years, no team has dominated like Joe Gibbs Racing. Hopefully we’ll be able to get Dollar General, Toyota and JGR a Nationwide Series championship next season.” 

Vickers will continue to run a limited schedule of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for Michael Waltrip Racing next season. He is expected to drive the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota for JGR this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.

The new agreement also calls for 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth to carry Dollar General sponsorship on his No. 20 Toyota in 17 Sprint Cup Races next season, beginning with the season-opening Daytona 500. 

“We are very excited about growing our partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO. “NASCAR effectively reaches our customers, and our racing program has proven to be successful in helping us build our brand. We’re thrilled to have Matt Kenseth and Brian Vickers driving Dollar General branded race cars next season.” 

“We look forward to our expanded partnership with Dollar General in both our Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series’ programs for next season,” said Joe Gibbs, owner and founder of JGR. “With Matt and Brian, we feel well positioned to deliver great visibility and winning results for the Dollar General brand. Matt is obviously a great talent, and his experience will be invaluable to our race team. Brian has proven to be successful in everything he has raced.” 

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. 

“Dollar General is a fantastic partner for us at Joe Gibbs Racing, and it’s exciting to see how well the company uses its program to support its branding and marketing efforts,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR. “They have a tremendous enthusiasm for our sport, and I know Matt and Brian are looking forward to representing Dollar General and having a lot of success on the track.”