NASCAR: Major sponsor hints ‘big news’ on hot rumor
By Asher Fair
Busch Beer indicated that they have “big news” set to be announced on Tuesday, and their not-so-subtle use of the watermelon gave NASCAR fans a pretty good idea of what that news will be.
With 2014 champion Kevin Harvick set to retire after the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, Busch Light had two options. Either they would leave the sport entirely or choose another driver (and perhaps another team) to sponsor.
The decision to remain in the sport turned out to be a pretty easy one to make.
The Busch Beer Twitter account posted on Monday evening that they have “big news rolling in tomorrow”, adding a watermelon emoji and a video of a rolling watermelon.
https://twitter.com/BuschBeer/status/1678524503390031872
An announcement of this “big news” is expected later this morning, but NASCAR fans are pretty well aware of what it is going to be.
Toward the start of the 2023 season, Trackhouse Racing Team’s Ross Chastain was linked as the driver most likely to secure sponsorship from Busch Light following Harvick’s retirement for a number of reasons.
While some might have expected the announcement to come earlier in the season, Busch Beer’s post with the watermelon all but confirms their new deal with the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet, indicating a move from Stewart-Haas Racing to Trackhouse Racing Team as well.
Busch Light’s full commitment to the team has yet to be revealed, such as whether they will be a full-time primary sponsor and whether they will have anything to do with Trackhouse Racing Team’s other full-time entry, Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Chevrolet, or even the PROJECT91 No. 91 Chevrolet.
Chastain is currently in his second season with Trackhouse Racing Team, which are in their third season of Cup Series competition. The Justin Marks and Pitbull-owned organization signed Chastain after the 2021 season, when they acquired the entirety of the Chip Ganassi Racing Cup Series operation. Chastain had driven for Chip Ganassi in 2021.
In his first season with the team, the 30-year-old Alva, Florida native earned the first two victories of his career to advance to the playoffs for the first time, and he parlayed that success into a Championship 4 appearance en route to a runner-up finish in the standings. He has added another win in 2023.
All-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list. dark. Next
On the driver side, JR Motorsports Xfinity Series Josh Berry is set to replace Harvick behind the wheel of the No. 4 Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing next year following an impressive run as a substitute driver for Hendrick Motorsports earlier this season, but they are still in the process of finalizing some things on the sponsorship side.