Harvick Unveils 2016 Busch Beer Sponsorship

Busch Beer announced today that it will return to NASCAR by sponsoring Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet in select races, beginning with the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. 

Busch, Busch Light and other special-edition Busch paint schemes will be featured on Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet SS for 12 races next season. The Busch logo will first appear on the hood for the Feb. 13 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway. Formerly known as the Busch Clash, this non-points exhibition race helped kick-start the brand’s involvement with NASCAR 36 years ago. Additional races will be determined shortly, after NASCAR releases the 2016 Sprint Cup schedule.  

“Busch’s NASCAR roots go back to 1978 and we’re thrilled to reconnect with these passionate fans that identify with our ‘Here’s to Earning It’ message on a daily basis,” said Chelsea Phillips, Director of Value Brands, Anheuser-Busch. “Kevin and the entire No. 4 team have been tremendous partners for Anheuser-Busch since 2011 and we have exciting plans to engage with the NASCAR community both on and off the track nationwide in 2016.”     

Harvick has represented Budweiser since 2011, and in 2014 he and Budweiser moved to Stewart-Haas Racing. In their inaugural season with the team co-owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, Harvick made five trips to Victory Lane and won the 2014 Sprint Cup championship. 

“Busch beer belongs in NASCAR,” said Harvick, a winner of 31 Sprint Cup races, eight of which have come with Stewart-Haas Racing. “The entire Stewart-Haas Racing team and I can’t wait to have the Busch logo on the No. 4 car next season as we work toward another Sprint Cup championship.”  

Busch has a rich racing history and some of the highlights of the brand’s involvement in the sport include sponsorship of the Busch Pole Award in 1978, which was presented to the pole winner of each NASCAR Winston Cup Series race, along with sponsorship of Cale Yarborough’s No. 11 car throughout the 1979 and 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup seasons. NASCAR introduced the Busch Clash in 1979, and held the event each year at Daytona International Speedway during the week prior to the Daytona 500. Busch also served as title sponsor of what is now the NASCAR XFINITY Series from 1984 through 2007 and served as the “Official Beer of NASCAR” from 1988 through 1997.  

“Some of my fondest racing career memories to-date involve the Busch brand, including winning the 2001 and 2006 Busch Series championships,” Harvick said. “The brand is historic and I’m looking forward to building the Busch racing legacy with all that we’re able to accomplish in 2016.”

In conjunction with the NASCAR announcement, Busch is expanding its social media presence by launching the brand’s first-ever Twitter handle. Starting today, consumers can follow @BuschBeer and use the hashtag #BuschIsBack.