Longtime NASCAR sponsor joins Bubba Wallace for Martinsville

Longtime NASCAR series title sponsor and Cup Series premier partner Xfinity is joining 23XI Racing and Bubba Wallace for Sunday’s playoff race at Martinsville Speedway.

Xfinity, the longtime title sponsor of NASCAR‘s second highest series and one of the four longtime premier partners of the Cup Series, is set to serve as the primary sponsor of a Cup car in Sunday afternoon’s round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.

The telecommunications business has joined 23XI Racing and Bubba Wallace to sponsor the No. 23 Toyota in this Sunday afternoon’s Xfinity 500 at the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) Ridgeway, Virginia oval.

The design of Wallace’s paint scheme is a purple mosaic which features faces of fans, literally giving lucky Xfinity Rewards members the chance to see themselves on the track during a postseason Cup Series race.

Wallace has been associated with Xfinity in some way, shape, or form since his first full season in the Xfinity Series — which was also Xfinity’s first season sponsoring what was formerly the Nationwide Series — in 2015.

But this unique partnership is a first for all parties, and although his playoff run ended in the round of 12, Wallace is excited to see the car hit the race track for one of his favorite races.

“Martinsville is coming up next weekend, next to last race, one of my favorite races on the schedule,” Wallace told Beyond the Flag. “So excited to have Xfinity. Just excited for Xfinity to see how much they’ve grown inside the sport since the inception and to see what they’ve done — and now they’re part of the race team.

“Being able to form that relationship with them years ago for both [teammate] Tyler [Reddick] and I, him being an Xfinity champion twice, it’s a great fit for all of us here, and so when the opportunity came about to sponsor a car, they wanted to do something, kind of give back to the community and give back to their Xfinity Rewards members. I think it’s awesome to see the mosaic purple paint scheme that we’re going to run.”

Bubba Wallace also spoke about how important Xfinity has been to NASCAR and how that makes their partnership with him and 23XI Racing even more special.

“Really our relationship started when I joined the Xfinity Series in 2015,” he said. “That was their first year, and so they really did a lot, they really took all the drivers under their wing and wanted to make it special for the Xfinity Series, and it was nice to be in that spotlight and to grow with them and learn the ins and outs about Xfinity and what they’re all about.

“Obviously when you get to the Cup level, you lose a little bit of that, but still I think our bond was so strong that anytime you’ve seen any of the Xfinity leadership at the racetrack, it was always a great conversation. So it’s cool to see it kind of come back. Full circle moment: they’re a partner on our team and sponsor on a race car!”

Unfortunately for Wallace, he doesn’t live in an area where Xfinity is available as a service provider, but he is hoping that changes, given his experience with the brand.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have that in our area right now, so they’re working on it!” he said. “So I can’t say I have. I hear a lot of good things about it. Now, obviously I’ve been to destinations that do, and I’ve had no complaints — so that’s a good thing!”

The Xfinity 500 is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, October 29. If Xfinity isn’t available in your area, start a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss it!