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NASCAR: Coors Light ends series sponsorship deal

By Alex Herbst

TALLADEGA, AL - OCTOBER 14: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Mountain Dew Chevrolet, poses with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying in the pole position for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 14, 2017 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
TALLADEGA, AL - OCTOBER 14: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Mountain Dew Chevrolet, poses with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying in the pole position for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 14, 2017 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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Coors Light will not return as an official sponsor of NASCAR, as previously anticipated by Beyond The Flag and confirmed by MillerCoors on Friday.

The sponsor exodus from NASCAR has claimed another victim to end 2017. As previously reported by Beyond The Flag, there were growing concerns in stock car racing that MillerCoors would widdle down their support of the series, limiting it to eleven races with Brad Keselowski’s #2 Ford. That rumor has now been confirmed as Coors Light will exit as the Official Beer of NASCAR in just two days.

Beyond The Flag previously reported that Coors Light was unlikely to return in 2018 in their current capacity. SportsBusinessDaily’s Adam Stern confirmed this move on Friday, with Coors Light set to end all sponsorship within NASCAR. This includes sponsorship of the official pole awards for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series. The move comes amidst reported “last ditch efforts” by NASCAR officials to keep MillerCoors on board in this capacity for the future.

NASCAR’s sponsorship picture continues to become murkier heading into the upcoming year. Coors Light joins Target, Subway, and Aspen Dental in terminating their deals within the sport, though there is some speculation that Subway could return to the Cup Series with a different team. There also remains great uncertainty over whether or not title sponsor Monster Energy will return in 2020 after two extensions for the energy drink company to decide whether or not it will renew their deal.

More from NASCAR

If series officials are to start looking for a replacement for Coors Light, they may find it hard to find a resolution quickly. Many other leading beer companies are tied up with other sports leagues. Budweiser, who previously was the Official Beer of NASCAR and sponsor of the Pole Award, now has close ties with Major League Baseball. Bud Light has a long-term deal with the National Football League. Finally, Heineken has deals currently with major soccer leagues including the Bundesliga and Major League Soccer, as well as Formula One.

Coors Light continues to have sponsorship deals with the National Hockey League and IndyCar. The company’s deal with America’s top open-wheel series gives them reach through both the series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sister brand Miller Lite was the title sponsor of Carb Day in 2017.

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Be sure to stay tuned to Beyond The Flag throughout the remainder of the NASCAR offseason for the latest news, rumors, and analysis from every team and every driver. With still over a month and a half to go until the Daytona 500, there is sure to be much more to come.

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