KANNAPOLIS, N.C. -- Stewart-Haas Racing announced Wednesday that Kurt Busch will return to its No. 41 Chevrolet for the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and has signed a multi-year contract with the team.
The re-signing of a new contract includes news of a unique multi-year agreement with Monster Energy. The energy drink manufacturer will serve as a co-primary sponsor with Haas Automation. Monster Energy will have one full primary race sponsorship as well as being the alpha sponsor (hood) for 17 races and bravo sponsor (quarter panel) for 18 races.
The new sponsorship will debut next weekend at Martinsville Speedway, where Monster Energy will be the primary sponsor on the No 41 Chevrolet for the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 (Nov. 1, 1:15 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM).
"Very excited to partner up again with Stewart-Haas Racing and to announce a contract extension and to be able to have Monster Energy come onboard," Kurt Busch said on Wednesday at the SHR headquarters. "It creates this element of championship form right from the get-go with two brands such as that and for me to have the opportunity to drive, I feel very blessed and privileged to have this opportunity."
SHR co-owner and three-time champion Tony Stewart indicated that this sponsorship deal was largely Kurt Busch's doing.
"This was something that really was Kurt's project, Kurt's relationship and this was something that he worked really hard at getting over here," Stewart said. "I'd love to take the credit for it but this was something that Kurt not only as a driver, he really promoted this side. He's the one that really made this happen."
As for the racing side of things, Stewart is glad to have the 2004 champion back in fold.
"It seems like when it comes to the race weekends, our setups are probably the closest alike," Stewart said. "So I really lean on Kurt for information and we've been able to communicate so well as far as the feel of the car. He's somebody that I really, really like and believe in as a driver. He's the guy you can take anywhere, any track at any time and he can win a race."
Kurt Busch was quick to point out the uniqueness of the co-primary sponsorship.
"When you have this situation that we've been able to produce at Stewart-Haas Racing with Gene Haas' blessing, with Tony Stewart's guidance and all of the marketing team, it makes sense to have two primaries such as this," Busch said. "To be able to enjoy the spotlight, leading laps, sitting on poles and going to Victory Lane. To me, it ties the two brands together with this synergy that is very powerful."
Mitch Covington, vice president of sports marketing for Monster Energy, said that the sharing of the car is what attracted Monster Energy to sign up for this deal with Kurt Busch.
"That's a real exciting part for us," Covington said. "Haas Automation was willing to share the season and share the car. We are pretty much partners in the team for the whole season. ...
"We didn't want to come in and just do four or five races and then have some other sponsor run that clashes with our brand or doesn’t fit with our brand for some of the other races. This way we know who is going to be on the car every week. It's our partners and it's almost like having a full Cup season."
Kurt Busch, 37, joined the Stewart-Haas organization in 2014. He has scored three victories for SHR and has qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs in each of his two seasons in the No. 41 ride.
The energy drink has also backed the efforts of brother Kyle Busch in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Monster had been an associate sponsor for Kurt Busch's in the Sprint Cup Series, and has been the primary sponsor of both brothers in the XFINITY tour since 2012. Monster Energy has served as the primary sponsor for the No. 54 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the XFINITY Series this season.
Covington indicated that "anything is possible" regarding the company's relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Kurt Busch was the lone remaining variable among the four drivers currently on the organization's roster, following Danica Patrick in re-upping with team co-owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas. At the Aug. 18 announcement for Patrick and new sponsor Nature's Bakery, Stewart had indicated that a deal with the 2004 premier-series champion was imminent.
The contract extension comes as Kurt Busch remains alive in his second straight appearance in the Chase postseason. He qualified for the playoffs in his first season with SHR, converting a Martinsville Speedway victory in his sixth race in the No. 41 into a Chase berth. Busch was knocked from championship eligibility after the first three-race round of eliminations.
NASCAR suspended the driver for the first three races of the 2015 season after a Delaware family court released its findings related to an investigation of domestic violence involving Kurt Busch. Since his return to the Sprint Cup Series, Kurt Busch has collected two victories (Richmond, Michigan) and three Coors Light Pole Awards in his first full season paired with veteran crew chief Tony Gibson.
Kurt Busch has notched three top-10 finishes in the five Chase races thus far, propelling him past the first series of eliminations. He enters Sunday's CampingWorld.com 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) at Talladega Superspeedway ranked third among the 12 drivers still in contention for the Sprint Cup championship.
"To me, its a dream come true to have this opportunity," Kurt Busch said. "There's been a lot that I've accomplished here at Stewart-Haas in a short amount of time but there's so much more ahead of us in the future."