McDonald's To Sponsor Jamie McMurray's Entry For 11 Races

McMurray Will Be Sponsored By McDonald's Instead Of Bass Pro Shops At LVMS Sunday

Jamie McMurray's Daytona 500-winning No. 1 Chevrolet will be adorned in the red and yellow colors of McDonald's in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas. McDonald's comes on board as a part-time primary sponsor of the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing car as part of a one-year deal. The QSR, formerly a part-time sponsor at Gillett Evernham Motorsports, is expected to serve as McMurray's primary sponsor for 11 races. Bass Pro Shops, which was on the No. 1 car when McMurray won in Daytona, has the primary spot for 20 races this season. Terms of the McDonald's deal were not available, but primary sponsorship on the top teams normally sells for about $500,000 per race (Michael Smith, SportsBusiness Journal). SCENEDAILY.com's Bob Pockrass noted McMurray after winning the Daytona 500 earlier this month was "talking about what he and his wife did after his win last November at Talladega Superspeedway." McMurray: "After we won Talladega, we went to McDonald's. I think tonight we'll have a Big Mac." Pockrass wrote that "might have just seemed to be a nice little story, but there could have been an ulterior motive" (SCENEDAILY.com, 2/25). ESPN.com's David Newton wrote McDonald's is "considered a natural fit for McMurray since his nickname has been 'Big Mac' for a while" (ESPN.com, 2/25).