The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be no more after the 2016 season.
Well, at least not under the name “Sprint”.
Sprint has announced it has told NASCAR that it will not extend its sponsorship past 2016, citing a desire to focus on its “core business priorities”.
“We are proud of our association with NASCAR’s top series but have made the decision not to extend our sponsorship beyond the next two years,” said Steve Gaffney, vice president-Marketing, Sprint. “As we look to the future, Sprint is focused on investing in maintaining a competitive edge and providing consumers with the best value in wireless. Sprint has long benefitted from the unprecedented level of brand integration available in NASCAR, and the passionate fan base that is the most loyal in sports. Without question, the NASCAR sponsorship property has been a valuable investment for us and will be for our successor.”
NASCAR’s most prestigious endeavor has been known as the Sprint Cup Series since 2008. Nextel actually signed an agreement with NASCAR in 2004, and until 2008 it was called the Nextel Cup Series. Sprint and Nextel merged in 2008.
Last year, Sprint and NASCAR extended the contract through 2016 – so NASCAR has a little bit of time to find another sponsor.
“The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a very unique, premium sports marketing platform with strong momentum, so we are very confident of moving forward in 2017 with an outstanding new partner,” NASCAR chief communications officer Brett Jewkes said in a statement. “In the meantime, we look forward to Sprint’s partnership on the best racing series in the world for the next two seasons.”
Image via NASCAR, Facebook
