Team Penske and Hitachi Group announced an extension of their partnership for the '18 Verizon IndyCar Series season. After five years with Helio Castroneves, Hitachi will transition to the No. 1 Dallara/Chevrolet of Josef Newgarden for eight races in '18. Castroneves is no longer a fulltime IndyCar driver, but Hitachi will sponsor his No. 3 in the Indianapolis 500. The brand also will continue as an associate sponsor on Penske's other fulltime IndyCar entries driven by Simon Pagenaud and Will Power. Meanwhile, Penske announced a new partnership with Florida-based DEX Imaging. The document imaging equipment company will be featured as the primary sponsor for three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races on the No. 12 Ford driven by Ryan Blaney. DEX will also serve as a full-season associate sponsor for the No. 12 (Team Penske).
GAMER FUEL: 5-Hour Energy has signed on as a foundational sponsor to FlyQuest as the League of Legends team's “official energy shot.” Along with jersey branding, social media and streaming integrations, 5-Hour Energy will sponsor two original content series produced by the team. Terms were not disclosed. Last week, FlyQuest signed Snickers as its official chocolate. This is the second recent team deal for 5-Hour, which signed with Detroit Renegades earlier this month and also sponsors some individual streamers (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer).
ORDER UP: U.S. Lacrosse named Chipotle the official Mexican restaurant of the NGB and Team USA. Financial terms were not disclosed. Chipotle’s assets will include a presence at events beginning with the U.S. Lacrosse Convention Jan. 19-21 in Baltimore. Chipotle will also roll out promotional programs throughout the year for U.S. Lacrosse members and youth lacrosse players. U.S. Lacrosse Managing Dir for Strategic Partnerships Brett Hurwitz negotiated the deal for the NGB (Adam Stern, Staff Writer).
