“Over the last three years,
Kevin has been an amazing ambassador for Budweiser, both on and off the track,”
said Blaise D’Sylva, vice president of media, sports and entertainment
marketing, Anheuser-Busch. “We value that level of commitment, and we’re
proud to join him at Stewart-Haas Racing next season.”
Under the terms of the deal,
Budweiser will serve as primary sponsor of the No. 4 Chevrolet for 20 races as
well as the Budweiser Duel during Budweiser Speedweeks at Daytona International
Speedway. Budweiser will serve as a major associate sponsor for the remaining
races on the Sprint Cup Series schedule.
“I’ve developed a great
relationship with so many people at Budweiser and am very happy it’s an
association that will continue for many years to come,” said Harvick, who has
represented Budweiser since 2011. “We’ve enjoyed a lot of success together and
our expectations match right up with those of Stewart-Haas Racing.”
With the move to
Stewart-Haas Racing next year, Harvick will utilize the No. 4. The transition
to the team comes as Harvick enters his 14th year in NASCAR’s top series. Thus
far, he has earned 21 Sprint Cup Series wins, 96 top-five and 198 top-10
finishes.
“We’re very proud to have
such an iconic brand in Budweiser and an incredibly accomplished racer in Kevin
Harvick join Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Tony Stewart, three-time Sprint Cup
Series champion and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing with Haas Automation
founder Gene Haas. “Budweiser is the leader in its industry and Kevin
has proven himself year-after-year in our sport. It’s a partnership we welcome
as it will make our entire organization stronger.”
With eight races remaining
before the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Harvick is ranked
fourth in the Sprint Cup Series standings with two wins, five top-five and 10
top-10 finishes.
“Richard Childress has been
a great partner to us and we value the efforts of everyone at Richard Childress
Racing,” said D’Sylva. “As we enter the second half of the season, we’re
focused on supporting the No. 29 Budweiser Racing team as they contend for the
2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.”
“I can’t thank Richard
Childress and everyone at RCR enough for everything they’ve done for my
career,” Harvick added. “I was just trying to make a name for myself in the
Truck Series and Richard believed in me enough to make me a part of his race
team back in 1999. Without him, and without the hard work of so many people at
RCR, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
While Budweiser adorned the
hood of the No. 29 Chevrolet for the past three seasons, the iconic bowtie has
been a staple in the Sprint Cup Series garage dating back to its sponsorship of
Terry Labonte’s No. 44 Chevrolet at Stratograph Racing in 1983. In the years
since, Budweiser has celebrated a championship and nearly 60 wins in NASCAR’s
elite division with the likes of Darrell Waltrip, Geoff Bodine, Bill Elliott,
Kenny Schrader, Ricky Craven, Wally Dallenbach, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne
and Harvick.
Any word on a crew chief yet, Dave? That's a huge question mark for me.
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