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NASCAR Cup Series premier partner out as race title sponsor

BBG News

On Sunday evening, Cook Out, a rapidly expanding family-run restaurant chain within the U.S., will take over as the main sponsor for the preseason Clash exhibition race held at Bowman Gray Stadium. This change marks Busch Light, their longtime sponsor and current Premier Partner, stepping aside from this particular event.

On Saturday, February 1st, Cook Out will be the main sponsor for the Cook Out Madhouse Classic. This exclusive event showcases the top racers from the track’s Modified Division.

The shift in the title sponsorship is primarily due to Cook Out becoming more engaged with NASCAR, rather than a decrease in Busch Light’s commitment to the sport. Despite this change, Busch Light continues to play a significant role as a Premier Partner and holds the primary sponsor position for Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Furthermore, it still maintains its title as the “Official Beer of NASCAR” and sponsors the Busch Light Pole Award.

Since 2021, Cook Out has been the title sponsor for the Southern 500 race at Darlington Raceway, and since 2024, it’s also the title sponsor for the spring race at Martinsville Speedway.

Cook Out in, Busch Light out at Clash title sponsor

On Sunday, February 2, the highly anticipated Cook Out Clash will make its debut at the Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This four-turn, quarter-mile oval track has never before played host to a Cup Series race. Previously, this event was held at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 2022 until 2024. It’s been over five decades since Bowman-Gray Stadium last hosted a race in the series, back in 1971.

From 1979 until 1997, and again in 2020, the race was called the Busch Clash while it took place at Daytona International Speedway’s oval track. In 2021, when the race was shifted to its road course for the first (and currently only) time, it retained that name.

Between 1998 and 2000, this event was called the Bud Shootout. After that, from 2001 up until 2012, it went by the name of the Budweiser Shootout.

Anheuser-Busch’s association with NASCAR dates back to a year prior to the inaugural Clash in 1979, where they sponsored the Busch Pole Award. Additionally, Busch Beer served as the official beer of NASCAR from 1988 to 1997. The Busch Pole Award was reinstated in 2018, and since then, Busch has been named the official beer of NASCAR once more.

In 2013 for the first time ever, the Clash race wasn’t backed by a beer company, with Budweiser moving its sponsorship to the Daytona 500 qualifying races from 2013 to 2015. From that year until 2016, the Clash was called the Sprint Unlimited, and then it became the Advance Auto Parts Clash from 2017 to 2019.

From 2022 to 2024, the race was famously called the “Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum.” It took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during this period.

After GEICO departed without being replaced following the 2024 season, Busch Light has become one of just three Premier Partners, joining Coca-Cola and Xfinity. Now, Busch Light is no longer the race title sponsor, a role it had filled since its debut in 1979.

Don’t forget to catch the live telecast of the Cook Out Clash on Fox this coming Sunday, February 2nd, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, straight from Bowman Gray Stadium.

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2025-02-01 16:02

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