Company to sponsor at least 24 Sprint Cup races for multiple years
JTG Daugherty Racing announced Thursday that Kroger will ramp up its backing of the No. 47 Chevrolet and driver AJ Allmendinger, with primary sponsorship for at least 24 races for multiple years.
The expanded sponsorship deal with the Cincinnati-based supermarket chain is set to begin with Sunday's GEICO 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX) at Talladega Superspeedway. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team -- owned by Tad and Jodi Geschickter with Brad Daugherty -- also carries backing from Scott Products, Kimberly Clark, Clorox, Kingsford and Bush's Beans.
"To get personal text messages from their executives, I know they are overjoyed about it," Allmendinger said in a release provided by the team. "It's neat to see firsthand how involved all of our sponsors want to be. Tying everything together will really help us take our race team to the next level. Kroger is really passionate about this sport and about our team. We look forward to making them a bigger part of the JTG Daugherty Racing family."
Kroger has worked with JTG Daugherty as a primary sponsor of the No. 47 team for the Daytona 500 since 2010. Tad Geschickter said the company plans a "Race to Saving" initiative around the sponsorship.
"Obviously, expanding our relationship with the largest grocery retailer in America is huge for our team and our sponsors, but is equally significant for the NASCAR industry," Geschickter said. "We are humbled that they chose us to fly their colors over the coming race seasons."
Allmendinger currently ranks 22nd in the Sprint Cup standings after last weekend's 13th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway. The 33-year-old driver qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs for the first time last year, clinching his berth with his first victory in NASCAR's premier series last August at Watkins Glen International.