Coors won’t return to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2008
The decision will end a seven-year relationship between Coors and Ganassi. The brewery was sponsor of the No. 40 when Ganassi took over the team in 2001 and has been on the car since.
"After much evaluation on both of our parts, we agreed that having Coors Light back as a sponsor on the No. 40 Dodge was not going to meet the marketing objectives of either organization," Chip Ganassi Racing Teams' President Steve Lauletta said in a news release. "Coors has been a tremendous partner over the last 14 years, and we wish them nothing but the best."
The brewery, whose association with NASCAR dates to 1984, when it backed Bill Elliott's No. 9 Ford, said it is looking into other ways to remain in the sport.
"We believe that NASCAR is a valuable property that allows us to reach our target audience," said Bryce McTavish, vice president of sponsorship and channel marketing for Coors Brewing. "From a marketing perspective, one of the sport's greatest assets is the variety of ways in which companies can be involved, and we are evaluating a number of them."
The team said it is looking for sponsors for the No. 40 Dodge, which is currently being driven David Stremme.
"We continue to weigh our sponsorship opportunities for the No. 40, and an announcement on that will be forthcoming," Lauletta said. "[Ganassi] has always prided itself on not only our long-term partnerships but also on our ability to attract new sponsors to the sport – just as we did earlier this year with Wrigley and Memorex." SceneDaily