The U.S. Army has officially announced that it will end its NASCAR sponsorship at the end of this season – one it has had for the past 10 years.
According to army marketers, a re-allocation of its marketing budget will prevent it from returning to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2013.
The Hill reports that the decision comes amid an effort by Reps. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) and Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) to ban the military from sponsoring sporting events.
As a result, SHR is in search of a new sponsor to fill the space that army will vacate.
Brett Frood, executive vice president of SHR, said the relationship between the U.S. Army and SHR “has been a mutually beneficial relationship, with the U.S. Army introducing training regimens that improved our pit crews while instilling the mental, physical and emotional strength of the U.S. Army soldier in all of us.”
The U.S. Army has maintained its sponsorship of NASCAR for ten years and was at one time a primary sponsor.
In light of the decision, Army marketer John Myers said, “The sport, our drivers and the passionate NASCAR fans embraced the Army’s participation and created a tremendous opportunity for Americans to learn more about the profession of the Army Strong Soldier.”
