Joe Gibbs Racing has "announced a contract extension" for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth and Dollar General's "expanded sponsorship of his No. 20 Toyota Camry," according to Gary Graves of the AP. The retail chain will "sponsor the car for 30 races" in '15 including the season-opening Daytona 500, which is "up from 27 events this year and 17" in '13. Dollar General Chair & CEO Rick Dreiling said that Kenseth's "success with JGR and his appeal made it easy to expand the company's involvement." JGR President J.D. Gibbs did not specify the length of Kenseth's extension, but said it is for a "number of years" (AP, 6/28). SPORTING NEWS' Bob Pockrass noted The Home Depot will "no longer have any sponsorship of the Kenseth car." Gibbs said that the team "has another sponsor lined up for the remainder" of the '15 season but "could not announce it at this point." The Dollar General sponsorship "goes through at least" '16 (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 6/28). ESPN.com's Mark Ashenfelter reported JGR also is "working to extend its contract with Mars Inc.," which sponsors JGR driver Kyle Busch's team "via M&M's and other brands." Gibbs said that there is "nothing to announce yet, but he expects to get the deal done" (ESPN.com, 6/28).
