Steak-umm and Cub Cadet added as '08 DEI sponsors

Dale Earnhardt Inc. has secured two new sponsors for the 2008 season, Steak-umm and Cub Cadet.

Both deals are for mostly associate positions on DEI cars but also involve primary positions in select Sprint Cup races. Terms of the deals were not available.

Steak-umm's first venture into racing will involve a full season of associate sponsorship on Mark Martin's No. 8 car, as well as a primary sponsorship for the June race at Pocono, where Martin notched a seventh-place finish last season. In May, Steak-umm will be the primary sponsor on DEI's No. 01 car driven by Regan Smith at Richmond.

Both primary positions are timed to coincide with grilling season, just before the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holidays, and a national promotion could be launched in the coming months.

Cub Cadet, which also has status as NASCAR's official outdoor power equipment, has bought associate space on Martin Truex Jr.'s No. 1 car with a primary planned for the Chicagoland race in July.

There's also a business-to-business component, which involves Bass Pro Shops, the yearlong primary on Truex's car, possibly selling Cub Cadet equipment in its stores.

Michael Smith is a reporter with SportsBusiness Journal.