It all but boggled the mind, but NASCAR somehow got through the first month of the season without an official beer, which is practically like stock cars getting through a race without air in the tires. But all is well again. NASCAR has hooked up with a familiar old brand as its official beer.
NASCAR and Anheuser-Busch announced Wednesday that Busch Beer, an Anheuser-Busch brand that is the 10th best-selling beer in America, will be the Official Beer of NASCAR. (Don't forget to capitalize the letters and add a little registered mark at the end.) Busch, whose light brand is sixth in sales in the U.S., will also sponsor the series’ Pole Award given to every race’s fastest qualifier.
This was a symbolic victory for NASCAR -- a real reason to crack one open. Stock-car fans enjoy a cold beer (or maybe two or three) while watching races either at the racetrack or at home, and the multi-year deal with Anheuser-Busch provides the series with vital and visible sponsorship fuel. Six-pack abs, you might say.
"Everything is a cycle," tweeted Dale Earnhardt Jr., the retired driver whose car was sponsored for years by Budweiser.
There were no cars in the Daytona 500 last month with a brand of beer as a main sponsor. Brad Keselowski will appear in just 11 of 36 races this year with Miller Lite as his main sponsor, down from 24 a year ago. Kevin Harvick, winner of three races in a row, plans to drive 16 races with Busch beer as his main sponsor.
MillerCoors said in December that Coors Light would not continue as NASCAR’s official beer after 10 years. But Anheuser-Busch, NASCAR’s old friend, has tapped into the marketing opportunity.
The Busch Pole Award was sponsored by Anheuser-Busch beginning in 1978, and Busch had been the official beer of NASCAR from 1988 through 1997.
Budweiser, the Anheuser-Busch brand, had been NASCAR’s official beer from 1998 to 2007, and Busch beer sponsored NASCAR’s second-tier series from 1984 to 2007. The “Busch Clash,” a non-points race, was held from 1979 to 1997. The race, now the Advanced Auto Parts Clash, was known as the Bud or Budweiser Shootout from 1998 through 2012.
“We are continuing to evolve our presence in NASCAR because we believe in the power and loyalty of NASCAR fans,” said Chelsea Phillips, the Vice President of Value and Beyond Beer brands at Anheuser-Busch said in a NASCAR news release. “Returning as the official beer of NASCAR strengthens our deep-rooted history in the sport and will provide fans with even more opportunities to enjoy a crisp, cold Busch beer on race day.”
The Busch Pole Award will be given to the fastest qualifier at the Monster Energy Cup race this weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Pomona, Calif. Drivers who claim the most Busch Pole Awards during the season capture the season-ending Busch Pole Award.
Additionally, Anheuser-Busch becomes an official partner of NASCAR, entitling the company to join the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council. NASCAR said the council brings together an exclusive group of more than 50 NASCAR Official Partners to buy and sell products and services from one another.
“The Busch Pole Award is one of the most recognized programs in NASCAR and partnering with a global marketer like Anheuser-Busch will further elevate the value of the program and our sport,” Lou Garate, the Vice President of Partnership for NASCAR, said in the release. “Anheuser-Busch has a storied history in NASCAR dating back to the 1970s, and we know our fans will celebrate and support Busch’s return as the `Official Beer of NASCAR.’ ”
