Furniture Row Racing and Martin Truex Jr.'s No. 78 car in '18 will be "fully subscribed by outside sponsors" for the first time since its NASCAR Cup Series debut in '05, according to Lee Spencer of MOTORSPORT.com. Truex will have co-support from 5-hour Energy and Bass Pro Shops in a "combined sponsorship program." The car will "carry Bass Pro Shops livery for 16 races as the primary," with 5-hour the primary "on 14 races." Both brands will "serve as the associates on the car for the shared sponsorship." Auto-Owners Insurance will "pick up the balance" of six races in '18. The team has "become a perennial contender in the NASCAR playoffs" with Truex. In his last three seasons, Truex has "scored a career-high 11 victories, six poles, 30 top fives and 60 top 10s" (MOTORSPORT.com, 10/15). The AP noted since Furniture Row's inception, the team has "primarily been funded" out of team Owner Barney Visser's pocket. Visser said that finding two companies to sign on as co-primary sponsors "took cooperation" from Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris and Living Essentials President of Sales Rise Meguiar, whose company owns 5-hour Energy (AP, 10/15). RACER.com's Kelly Crandall noted Bass Pro Shops and 5-hour have also "formed a business-to-business relationship" as part of the shared sponsorship. That will "include cross-marketing and advertising." 5-hour will be "sold in all Bass Pro Shops and Cabela stores." Those stores will also "feature 15- and 30-second commercials on all in-store screens" (RACER.com, 10/15).
OPTIONS LIMITED: YAHOO SPORTS' Nick Bromberg noted 5-hour joined Furniture Row in fall of '16 and was "allowed to keep its sponsorship" despite Monster Energy inking an entitlement deal for NASCAR's Cup series. However, the brand has been "prevented from moving to another team if it wanted to keep sponsoring someone in the Cup Series" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/15).
