It was officially announced that Coors Light will become the official beer of NASCAR, replacing Budweiser.
After the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season, Budweiser will no longer be the sponsor of Dale Earnhardt Jr, nor will the beer company be considered the Official Beer of NASCAR. Coors Light, which has been the primary sponsor for Chip Ganassi Racing (formerly owned solely by Felix Sabates) since 1995, will take over as NASCAR's beer of choice.
The multi-year agreement between NASCAR and Coors Brewing Company allows Coors to exclusive rights to NASCAR logos in marketing and packaging, as well as the exclusive right to brand the pole award, which is currently known as the Bud Pole Award. Furthermore, Coors could become the primary sponsor of the Busch Series.
"Coors Light is a brand closely connected with and strongly supported by NASCAR's core fan base," said NASCAR's Chief Marketing Office, Steve Phelps.
Coors Brewing Company achieved its greatest success in NASCAR as the sponsor of Bill Elliott while he drove the Harry Melling owned Ford Thunderbirds. Elliott won the Winston Million in 1985 with Coors as the sponsor, and he won the Winston Cup championship in 1988 with Coors as the sponsor.
Speaking of Bill Elliott...he is expected to share the Wood Brothers #21 ride with rookies Jon Wood and Marcos Ambrose in 2008. Elliott replaced Ken Schrader at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May, and has the 21 car back in the top 35 in Nextel Cup owners points. Schrader returned to the 21 car at Loudon two weeks ago.
