The National Guard's sponsorship of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. is coming to a screeching halt.
A news release from the Army National Guard cites "significantly restrained resources" as the reason for ending sponsorship of both Earnhardt and Graham Rahal in the Indy Racing League...
The Army Guard spent $32 million on its NASCAR sponsorship and $12 million on its IndyCar sponsorship for 2014. Future programs will rely on much smaller budgets.
The Army National Guard's NASCAR sponsorship came under fire in May, when an investigation by USA Today found the Guard wasn't exactly getting a bang for its buck when it came to recruitment:
The National Guard spent $26.5 million to sponsor NASCAR racing in 2012 to bolster its marketing and recruitment but failed to sign up a single new soldier to its ranks...
The decision by the Army National Guard put the brakes on its sponsorship of NASCAR and IndyCar came as a surprise to Hendrick Motorsports, who released a statement to NBC Sports saying they have a contract that ensures the National Guard's sponsorship until 2015:
“We have not been approached by the Guard about potential changes and plan to honor our current agreement.”
What do you think of the Army National Guard's decision to pull funding for NASCAR and IndyCar? Have your say in our comments section!
