Crown Royal to honor McMurray with donation

When all the dust settled at Talladega Superspeedway, there was only one king in victory lane: NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray. To commemorate McMurray’s third career victory, The Crown Royal Company, which is a subsidiary of Diageo plc (NYSE: DEO), and primary sponsor of the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, will make a $10,000 donation to The Century Council in McMurray’s name. Should the Roush Fenway driver go back-to-back and hold off the rest of the field to capture another win this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Crown Royal will pledge an additional $50,000 in an effort to raise awareness for drinking responsibly.

As the official spirit of the No. 26 car, Crown Royal wants to take the lead in drumming up excitement for NASCAR fans, and reminding them of the importance of responsible drinking. The Century Council is a charitable organization that along with Diageo – its leading contributor – and Crown Royal, is committed to eliminating drunk driving and promoting responsible decision-making as it pertains to consuming beverage alcohol.

After rolling off a third place finish in Texas last year, Crown Royal is confident that its driver will bring home the trophy.

“Jaime’s Talladega win has provided the perfect opportunity to congratulate him and the team, as well as give them added incentive to support such a great cause if they repeat the victory," said Guy Smith, Executive Vice President, Diageo and Crown Royal. “When a NASCAR driver celebrates a triumphant finish at the podium, fans will notice they celebrate with a bottle of champagne. This time, the celebration will be with Crown Royal, and we’ll be writing a $50,000 check."

In addition to the donation to The Century Council, Crown Royal provided the entire No. 26 team and McMurray with embroidered Crown Royal bags with a congratulatory message