Watermelon and Busch Beer, what a combo.
When Kevin Harvick announced that he would be retiring from NASCAR after the 2023 season, one of the big questions was who would land his primary sponsor, Busch Beer.
Anheuser-Busch has been a sponsor of Harvick since 2011, when he was still driving for Richard Childress Racing, and followed Harvick to Stewart-Haas Racing when he switched teams in 2014.
But with Harvick’s retirement, that left a major sponsor up for grabs at a time when sponsorship dollars are harder and harder to come by. In recent years, major sponsors like Lowe’s and M&M’s have left the sport, and teams are more often relying on multiple sponsors to put together a full season versus years past where a car would only have one primary sponsor.
Well now we know who’s going to be wheeling the Busch Light car in 2024 – and it’s one of the most electric drivers in the Cup Series.
Actually it’s been rumored for a while now that Busch would be taking their sponsorship to Trackhouse Racing to sponsor Ross Chastain in the #1 car.
Though the team is only in its third year in the NASCAR Cup Series, they’ve made quite the splash and become one of the top teams week in and week out. Chastain recently scored his first win of the season at Nashville, and Trackhouse scored its second win in a row when Australian Supercars driver Shane van Gisbergen shocked the world and won the inaugural Cup Series race at the Chicago street course the following week.
Co-owned by superstar music artist Pitbull along with former driver Justin Marks, Trackhouse has quickly become one of the best teams in the garage area – and Chastain, a watermelon farmer from Florida whose signature celebration is smashing a watermelon on the finish line after a victory, has become one of the most talked-about drivers with his aggressive racing style (not to mention his electric move at Martinsville last year to secure his spot in the championship four).
And one of the worst-kept secrets in the sport was seemingly confirmed yesterday when Busch tweeted a teaser featuring a watermelon.
People immediately began to speculate that this was the Chastain announcement (because let’s be honest, watermelon Busch Light doesn’t sound great).
Well that’s exactly what it was, with Busch and Chastain confirming the news this morning:
Anheuser-Busch remains one of the last major beer sponsors in NASCAR, with Miller and Coors cutting back their sponsorship dollars in recent years. And it’s also the official beer of NASCAR, so landing the sponsorship was a major win for Chastain and Trackhouse Racing, who said in a statement:
“Ross has already accomplished so much in his career and we’re so proud that an iconic brand like Busch Light sees his commitment not only to the sport, but to his fans.
Being sponsored by the official beer of NASCAR is such an honor and we can’t wait to see what Ross and Busch Light accomplish together in 2024 and beyond.
It has been Trackhouse’s goal from day one to build something special and different. Something that resonates with the fans and partners in NASCAR. For Busch Light to recognize this and commit to the vision is both humbling and inspiring as we continue to write a special chapter in the history of this sport.”
Chastain was also excited about his new sponsor, which reportedly signed a multi-year agreement with the team and driver:
“On the farm in Alva, Florida, Busch Light has always been the beer of choice for all of our celebrations, and now that they are right by my side as my sponsor – it’s a dream come true!
This sponsorship means so much to me as the brand not only supports NASCAR, but also places value and extends their support to communities that are close to my heart — the humble, hard-working people across the U.S. who enjoy cracking a cold one after an honest day’s work.”
Man, with the way things are going for Trackhouse right now, don’t look for them to be slowing down any time soon.
