The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is looking for a new presenting sponsor. Camping World, which joined the series in October of 2020 when a disagreement with former partners Coca-Cola Companies sent the beverage purveyor packing, has announced it won’t be renewing when its current agreement ends at the close of the 2024 season.
Camping World has been in and out of a variety of racing series over the past few years, lending its name more recently to NASCAR’s Truck Series for 14 seasons before joining NHRA. Company owner Marcus Lemonis has announced his firm’s comings and goings on Twitter, using that social media venue as a public relations outpost for the company’s racing – and other – plans.
During the most recent NHRA event, the Gerber Glass and Collision Route 66 Nationals at Joliet, IL in mid-May, NHRA’s vice president of marketing and communications, Jeffrey Young confirmed the company’s departure following the close of the 2024 season.
“Our contract expires at the end of next season,” Young told AutoWeek. “They let us know that they’re not going to renew that at the end of 2024. They said they’re going to invest that [money] in their employees. Our team is out looking for a new sponsor,” he said. “They’re out, pitching for the future and having a lot of conversations. We expect to make an announcement soon.”
Even as NHRA goes to work searching for a viable partner to keep the dollars flowing for both professional straight-line racers and its venues, “We’re still working closely with Camping World this year to make sure we do things in our contract,” Young emphasized. “We continue to push (the fact that) they’re the great partner they are and that they have been,” during the short period Camping World has been part of NHRA.
Throughout the United States, Camping World sells, rents, services and provides parts for new and used recreational vehicles. Summer is the time of year when RVs regularly travel to and from motorsports activities. Camping World wanted to be part of the drag racing community that purchases RVs and services those machines.
To bad to see them go. Hope that NHRA can quickly find a new national sponser.
I agree with Pat! Camping World is truly a well-run, respected company that is a great fit with NHRA.
NHRA will miss them for sure, Camping World is a highly respected company that caters to common sense people that don’t follow along like sheep to the woke companies and main stream media. Thank you Camping World from an old RVer.