Dollar General departing Matt Kenseth's team after 2016
Matt Kenseth and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team will need a new primary sponsor or two in 2017. Dollar General announced Monday that it would be ending its sponsorship deal with the team following the conclusion of the 2016 season.
"Dollar General has had tremendous success with NASCAR and our sponsorship of Joe Gibbs Racing," the company's statement read. "We have enjoyed a great partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and we are excited to see what the No. 20 Dollar General car driven by Matt Kenseth will accomplish during the remainder of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Our strategy to reallocate our future marketing assets into new programs is strictly a business decision to align our priorities to better serve our customer in this rapidly changing retail environment"
The company named Todd Vasos as its new CEO in May of 2015. Vasos succeeded Rick Dreiling, the CEO of the company when it became a primary sponsor with JGR before the 2013 season when Kenseth joine the team.
As companies have started to favor partial season sponsorships, Dollar General became one of the biggest sponsors on a per race basis in the Cup Series. Dollar General is sponsoring Kenseth in 30 races in 2016.
The trend of partial season sponsorships is why it's possible that Joe Gibbs Racing could find more than one company to take Dollar General's place. According to Sports Business Journal, which first reported Dollar General's move, the team could make announcements on new sponsors in the next month. Dollar General has no plans to move to another team.
Kenseth has had a wacky 2016 season so far and his team's strategy was a big reason for the mass confusion during Saturday night's non-points All-Star Race. Kenseth won the last points race (at Dover) and is a virtual lock to be a part of the Chase when it starts in September.
- - - - - - -
Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
