SHR was in the market for a sponsor to replace Office Depot, which announced that it was leaving the No. 14 team at the end of the season earlier this year.

Bass Pro Shops was in its last year with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and the No. 1 Chevy driven by Jamie McMurray.

Bass Pro Shops will continue to sponsor Austin and Ty Dillon in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.

Quicken Loans also recently extended its partnership with SHR for the No. 39 Chevy and Ryan Newman. The US Army announced earlier this season that it would leave the team at season’s end. It appears that Quicken Loans has picked up the majority of the races that the Army gave up.

Related Stories

• Stewart Haas Racing Re-Signs Newman
• Office Depot Leaving SHR’s No. 14 At Season’s End
• SHR Expects To Field Three Teams In 2013
•  US Army To Leave SHR’s No. 39 At Season’s End

Jay Farner, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Quicken Loans said:

We were not sure what to expect with the 2012 season being our first in the sport. What we quickly found was that NASCAR fans are tremendously passionate and loyal to the brands that help drive their sport. It was their commitment to our company that ultimately allowed us to significantly increase our involvement with the sport, Stewart-Haas Racing and Ryan Newman.

Earlier this year, the US Army, which currently sponsors SHR’s No. 39, announced it would not return to the team in 2013. This expanded deal with Quicken Loans seems to have taken most of the races the Army gave up.

Related Stories

SHR Expects To Field Three Teams In 2013

US Army To Leave SHR’s No. 39 At Season’s End

Per the team’s Facebook page:

The skill and tenacity [Newman] brings to our race team has helped us achieve a lot in a very short period of time, and we look forward to continued success with Ryan behind the wheel of our No. 39 Chevrolet.

This announcement is good news for a team that has been receiving bad news recently: losing sponsors Office Depot and US Army.

Update: Ryan Newman indicated that he signed a one-year deal with SHR, and took a pay cut to stay with the team.

Related Stories

• Office Depot Leaving SHR’s No. 14 At Season’s End
• SHR Expects To Field Three Teams In 2013
• US Army To Leave SHR’s No. 39 At Season’s End

SHR spokesman Mike Arning said:

Office Depot has notified SHR that they will not be renewing as the primary sponsor of the No. 14 team. However, SHR is in continued discussions with Office Depot regarding possible future roles the company could have with the team.

Mindy Kramer, of Office Depot, said:

The changing business landscape warrants a realignment of priorities and resources. That being said, Tony Stewart has been an exceptional ambassador for our brand, and he has gone above and beyond in everything that he has done for our company. Being a part of his legendary 2011 championship run was a moment of tremendous pride for everyone at Office Depot.

Office Depot does want to be involved with Stewart and the team, but in what capacity has yet to be determined.

Office Depot held primary sponsorship of the car in 22 of 38 races in 2012. Mobil 1 sponsors the car for the remaining 16 races. Mobil 1 will serve as primary sponsor for the same number of races in 2013.

This news comes as another blow, as SHR’s No. 39 Sprint Cup Chevy, driven by Ryan Newman, lost one of its primary sponsors when the US Army announced that it would be leaving the team at season’s end. Still, SHR expects to field three teams in 2013.

Related Stories

• SHR Expects To Field Three Teams In 2013
• US Army To Leave SHR’s No. 39 At Season’s End

The U.S. Army, which sponsored SHR’s No. 39 Chevy for 12 races this season, announced earlier this month that it was pulling its NASCAR sponsorship, opting to spend that money on other marketing initiatives.

Driver of the No. 39, Ryan Newman is not under contract for the 2013, though SHR would like to bring him back if sponsorship can be worked out. In addition to the Army, the No. 39 has been sponsored by Tornados, Quicken Loans,Outback Steakhouse, Wix Filters, and Aspen Dental. Bass Pro Shops also sponsored the team for one race.

Danica Patrick is slated to join the SHR stable full time in 2013 bringing with her sponsorship from GoDaddy, who has sponsored Patrick in the Indy Car Series, the ARCA Racing Series and the Nationwide Series.

No changes in sponsorship are expected for the No. 14, which is currently sponsored by Office Depot and Mobil 1. Bass Pro Shops appeared on that car for one race, as well.

There are rumors that Newman could leave SHR and join a new team formed by Michael Andretti, though Andretti called a move to the Sprint Cup Series in 2013 highly unlikely.

Related Stories

• US Army To Leave SHR’s No. 39 At Season’s End
• SHR Hires Car Chief For No. 10 Team, Patrick
• It’s Official: Patrick To NASCAR Full Time In 2012

SHR may look to one of its existing sponsors to fill the void left by the Army.

This year, the Army agreed to sponsor the team for 12 races. Haas Automation, Tornados, WIX Fileters, Quicken Loans, Outback Steakhouse, Aspen Dental, and Bass Pro Shops sponsored the car for the remaining races.

Brett Frood, executive vice president of SHR said:

The U.S. Army has been a great partner of Stewart-Haas Racing since the team’s inception. It has been a mutually beneficial relationship, with the U.S. Army introducing training regimens that improved our pit crews while instilling the mental, physical and emotional strength of the U.S. Army Soldier in all of us. We remain very proud of our representation of the U.S. Army and its brave Soldiers who are 100 percent committed to our country.

Mobil 1 was left looking for another team to sponsor after Penske Racing signed a deal with Shell Pennzoil to sponsor Kurt Busch next season.

SHR’s No. 39 will have the US Army and Tornado’s back on the car with part time schedules next season. They are currently in talks with Wix Filters about a partial sponsorship schedule next season.

History

The concept for this blog started many years before in launched. I kicked the idea around for several years, but could never come up with a niche for my blog. Should I cover NASCAR news?  How will that be unique compared to all other NASCAR coverage?

Eventually, I settled on the idea that I would feature a synopsis and analysis of the media coverage of NASCAR. But, that idea quickly evolved into what the Lead Lap has become today: a mix of news, rumors, and opinions.

I wanted to create a blog that featured current NASCAR news interjected with my thoughts and opinions. I also wanted to bring in other types of stories that were tangentally related to NASCAR — for example the economic conditions and their affect on NASCAR, and the companies involved in NASCAR.

In one year’s time, I think I have acheived those goals. I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Future

In the future, I hope to continue to grow this blog, and maybe eventually expand to a full-blown website. I’m still kicking around ideas for what the website would feature and how it would fit in with other sites like Jayski and SceneDaily.

A redesign may also be coming. I’m hoping to give the Lead Lap a better look and feel.

Stats

Looking back at the last year, I’ve put together some stats I would like to share. In April 2007, the Lead Lap generated 41 views — most of those coming from my girlfriend. Since then, the Lead Lap has grown to an average of 832 views per month, with a high of 1,500 views in July of 2007.

When this blog was launched, the hottest NASCAR story was the speculation surrounding Tony Stewart’s 2009 plans. As a matter of fact, my first posting was on this very subject. At that time, it was unclear whether or not Stewart would be released from his contract.

Coincidentally, the Lead Lap’s top post by page views was the official announcement that Tony Stewart would be driving the Old Spice, Office Depot Chevy for Stewart Haas Racing. The number 2 post? Army sponsoring Ryan Newman and SHR.

Last week’s story on fans injured during Carl Edwards Talladega wreck was the most viewed non-SHR story. But, the Car and Driver hoax article story is right behind it, and is still closing the gap.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has visited, and continues to visit, this blog and those of you who share your insights and opinions via comments. I do my best to respond to each one, and will continue to do so. Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank my girlfriend who helped me get this blog off the ground and, even though she is not a NASCAR fan, still continues to check it out daily. Thanks.

And while I don’t know the reasons for some of the business decisions being made by Teresa Earnhardt, I suspect that pride and stubborness are leading to the mismanagement of the company that Dale Earnhardt Sr built.

Since Sr’s death, Teresa hasn’t had much interest in the sport, often skipping appearances at the track. She’s been called an absentee owner on several occasions.

She let pride get in the way when Dale Earnhardt Jr made his highly publicized bid for ownership in the company. Jr frequently complained that DEI was doing nothing to keep up with the competition. He contended that the team was not purchasing new technology that would help performance, and that the team was not expanding, despite being too big for its shop in N.C.

Teresa was so stubborn and arrogant that she let NASCAR’s most popular driver walk away, and expected the team to survive.

She wouldn’t even let Jr take with him the number he put back on the map. I can understand that the No. 8 has sentimental value to DEI, but it’s not like Jr and Rick Hendrick made an unreasonable offer. I think they also would have agreed to return the number, when Jr was finished with it. But, Teresa went out of her way to ensure that they would not get the number by seeking a percentage of licensing revenue.

Since Jr jumped ship, DEI has been a sinking ship. The team merged with Bobby Ginn Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing. It lost three sponsors in Budweiser, US Army, and Menards. It lost drivers Mark Martin and Paul Menard. And is rumored to be in danger of losing Martin Truex Jr and Bass Pro Shops.

Sadly, things will not improve until Teresa gives up control of the company, or she stops letting foolish pride and personal reason influence business decisions.

The announcement led to questions about the future of Dale Earnhardt Inc. In addition, questions surrounded Martin Truex Jr.’s ability to become the face of the legendary team.

While DEI has never won a Sprint Cup championship, the team bears the name of a NASCAR icon. And for that reason, expectations are huge.

Jr.’s highly publicized departure seemingly looked to be the end of DEI. The team struggled in 2008.

Truex was hit with a 150 point penalty. Teresa Earnhardt was rumored to be considering selling the team. There were conflicting reports over Truex Jr’s option for 2009, which led to a fight with DEI’s president Max Siegel. Siegel eventually left the team. Mark Martin, like Jr., left the team for Hendrick. Paul Menard left the team for Yates Racing, taking his father’s Menard sponsorship with him. The team also lost its US Army sponsorship to Stewart Haas Racing and Ryan Newman. DEI was left with four cars, three drivers (Truex Jr, Aric Almirola, and Regan Smith), and one sponsor.

Enter Chip Ganassi Racing. CGR and DEI merged to form Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, virtually saving both companies. CGR brought Juan Pablo Montoya, and Target. He also had Wrigley’s signed for a half-year worth of sponsorship.

Things were looking up for the team, as EGR was said to be courting past champion, Bobby Labonte. But then, a deal feel through and Labonte was announced as the driver of Hall of Fame Racing’s No. 96, which has an alliance with Yates Racing.

When the dust settled from the offseason, and teams returned to Daytona International Speedway for practice for the 500, Truex unloaded with a fast car. He was in the top 5 in both practices. And when qualifying came around, he posted the fastest time, taking the pole.

This is exactly what EGR needed to do out of the gate. Taking the pole of the season’s biggest race will help this team put one of its toughest offseasons behind it.

While the work is not done yet, the team can pat itself on the back for a good showing in the first step of the Daytona 500. Next up, winning one of the Gatorade Duels.

Following Sunday’s showing, I for one will not be counting out EGR.