Three sponsors sign extensions with Roush Fenway Racing through 2021

Fastenal, Fifth Third Bank and SunnyD have signed contract extensions with Roush Fenway Racing to serve as primary sponsors of the No. 17 Ford driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. through 2021, the team announced Tuesday. All three companies will serve as primary partners, with Fastenal continuing to be an anchor primary partner and committing to an increase in primary races. This year marks the fourth full season for Fastenal, which began its partnership with Roush Fenway Racing in 2010, as the anchor partner on the No. 17. “That’s huge for myself (and) that’s huge for this company -- really, to kind of look that far out in advance, but also to have partners that have been with us for that long,” Stenhouse Jr. told NASCAR.com at Bristol Motor Speedway. “It has been a really good partnership for all of us. They all see the benefit of what we can do for them in the sport, so that’s huge. “It means a lot to everybody on my team.” Fifth Third Bank has been an RFR partner since 2012, while SunnyD came on board in 2016, giving Stenhouse’s No. 17 Ford a colorful new look. The partners are different companies with different personalities, but they share one common element, Stenhouse said. “They all feel like we’re just part of their family, which is something that I’ve always enjoyed with every partner,” he said. “Just really kind of getting integrated with all of them and feeling like family when you’re around them. ... “(The diversity) shows other companies that are out there what NASCAR can do for this diverse group. I think it helps us when we go out and want to sell some other sponsorship, we show that we can be beneficial to all different areas.” Stenhouse was elevated to Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 17 team in 2013 after winning two NASCAR Xfinity Series championships under the RFR banner in 2011 and 2012. He earned his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins in 2017 at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, respectively, with Fifth Third Bank on his No. 17 Ford in both instances. “We’re extremely proud of our relationships with Fastenal, Fifth Third and SunnyD, both personally and professionally, and we’ve been fortunate to work with each to provide on-track performance and solid marketing solutions based on their varied goals and objectives,” Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark said in a team release. “Strong partners are the foundation to the success of any NASCAR team and we believe we have the best in the sport. Every employee of Roush Fenway recognizes what these companies do for us, on and off the track, and we’re honored to have all three of these top-level brands committed to our program for many years to come.” The sponsorship extension, which covers about 85 percent of No. 17 inventory through 2021, according to the team, allows Stenhouse Jr. to set his sights on one goal -- getting back to Victory Lane. “You want to keep pushing forward,” Stenhouse said. “Our main goal is, we’ve gotten Fifth Third in Victory Lane twice -- we want to want to make sure to get SunnyD and Fastenal there as well, or really any other partners that we get on board to finish out some of the races that we have. “So, that’s our main goal. We’re really kind of focused on that now, we’re not worried about if (our sponsors) are going to come back, what we’re going to do. So, we just want to make sure we continue to do the best job that we can for them so that we can continue this partnership and not just look at ’21, but look past that as well.”