McDonald’s will be the primary sponsor of the No. 42 car for at least six races this seasonchip ganassi racing
McDonald’s is switching up its NASCAR sponsorship deal with Chip Ganassi Racing, moving from mainly sponsoring the team’s No. 1 car to sponsoring the No. 42 Chevrolet driven by Kyle Larson. McDonald’s will be the primary sponsor of the No. 42 for at least six races this season, though the team is not releasing the exact amount. McDonald’s is announcing its ’19 plans with Ganassi today ahead of its first paint scheme of the ’19 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series running this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. While Ganassi would not rule out the possibility of McDonald’s doing a race later this season with the No. 1 car, the switch to the No. 42 is notable because the No. 1 is now driven by Kurt Busch, a driver with a more controversial past than his predecessor Jamie McMurray or Larson. McDonald’s Head Of Global Alliances John Lewicki in a statement said, “Like Jamie McMurray previously, Kyle embodies many of the same qualities as a family man and a competitor, that are important to McDonald’s.”
PUT A SMILE ON: McDonald’s had already started sponsoring Larson sparingly before Busch’s move, as the QSR has been on his car six different times in recent seasons. McDonald’s will be promoting its current campaign featuring bacon on several of its classic menu items including the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder and French fries. Meanwhile, as THE DAILY reported last week, McDonald’s is also running a paint scheme this weekend on Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 driven by Bubba Wallace to also highlight the bacon campaign. NASCAR rules allow brands to sponsor multiple teams if they so choose; Bass Pro Shops is an example of a sponsor that already does. McDonald’s has been with CGR for nearly a decade.
