JR Motorsports
announced today significant developments in its 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series
plans, as Great Clips Inc., the world’s largest hair salon brand, has signed a
primary sponsorship agreement for 28 races next season. The partnership brings
Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet to JR Motorsports, adding to a lineup that already
includes Regan Smith, the series’ most recent winner, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
This will mark the
13th year Great Clips has used the Nationwide Series to market its brand, making
it the series’ longest-running sponsor. Kahne has a long-standing relationship
with Great Clips dating back to 2003 when the company served as primary sponsor
for the up-and-coming driver for three seasons. The company also recently
announced a sponsorship of Kahne’s No. 5 Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports for
three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2013.
The addition of Great
Clips further establishes the JR Motorsports line-up for 2013, albeit with
substantial changes from two months ago. First, it guarantees the company will
field at least two entries in 28 of 33 Nationwide Series events. Smith is
already committed to driving a full schedule, and Earnhardt Jr. will compete in
select races in a third car.
 |
| Kasey Kahne |
Additionally, car
numbers have been reassigned to align with Kahne’s branding in the Sprint Cup
Series. Kahne and Sweet will split time in the No. 5 Chevrolet for 27 races.
Smith will compete for a championship in the No. 7, and Earnhardt Jr. will
carry his familiar No. 88 in a limited schedule that presently stands at four
races. One of Earnhardt’s races will be with Great Clips branding to fill out
the 28-race sponsorship package.
JR Motorsports General
Manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller said the organization still isn’t committing
the No. 5 team to a full-season slate but continues to work at securing
sponsorship to fill out the remaining six races.
“The last three months
have been critical for the direction of JR Motorsports and the commitment we’ve
made, and this partnership with Great Clips is a major step in the right
direction,” Earnhardt Miller said. “To sign a 28-race sponsor while adding
Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet to our line-up is quite extraordinary. Our goal is
still to run two full-time teams, and this helps us greatly to achieve that.”
A teammate of
Earnhardt’s at Hendrick Motorsports, Kahne is a 14-time Sprint Cup Series
winner and seven-time Nationwide Series winner. He drove two races for JR
Motorsports in 2011, finishing fourth at Kentucky Speedway and third at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway. Kahne rejoined the Great Clips family in 2009 and,
over the last three years, has competed in select Nationwide Series races with
the company as his primary sponsor. Great Clips has since expanded its
relationship with the Enumclaw, Wash. native over the years by being heavily
involved in the driver’s charity events and serving as a primary sponsor for
Kasey Kahne Racing. Part of that expansion has also included the addition of
Sweet to the Great Clips driver lineup with the Grass Valley, Calif. native
carrying Great Clips branding in 18 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 19
Nationwide Series races over the last three years.
 |
| Brad Sweet |
“Great Clips has been
a long-time sponsor of mine for 10 years,” Kahne said. “They support everything
that I do from the Kasey Kahne Foundation to my sprint car team and they
continue to grow their program in NASCAR. We all look forward to joining JR
Motorsports and continuing to build on the success that they have had.”
Like Kahne, Sweet is a
product of United States Auto Club (USAC). He was hired by Kasey Kahne Racing
in 2007 and has given KKR seven victories, including wins at the Belleville
Midget Nationals, Knoxville Midget Nationals and Four Crown Nationals at Eldora
Speedway.
“I’m looking forward
to this new opportunity with JR Motorsports and to continue representing Great
Clips, both on and off the track,” said Sweet. “They have been extremely
supportive of me over the last couple of years so taking this step with them is
very special for me. As a young driver in this sport, having the chance to
drive under the JR Motorsports banner is an amazing opportunity that I plan to
make the most of. The 2013 season is‘gonna be great’ and I can’t wait to get it
started.”
A race schedule for
Kahne and Sweet in the No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet is still to be determined.
So, too, is Earnhardt Jr.’s complete Nationwide Series slate. To date his only
announced races are Feb. 23 at Daytona International Speedway and March 9 at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, both in the No. 88 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet.
No comments:
Post a Comment