NASCAR’s Roush Fenway Racing team extends partnership with Fastenal
Roush Fenway Racing is extending its long-term partnership with No. 17 Ford sponsor Fastenal. The industrial distributing company is in its 11th season with the NASCAR team and will serve as a partner through the 2024 season.
Fastenal has partnered with Roush Fenway Racing through 70 top-10 finishes and 44 top-fives, including with drivers Chris Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carl Edwards behind the wheel.
“We actually have held this announcement off because our hope was that we could all get (together) in person, enjoy something to drink and do things a little more normally,” Roush Fenway Racing president Steve Newmark said via Zoom on Wednesday afternoon.
Newmark did not indicate during the call whether current No. 17 driver Buescher had signed a contract extension along with Fastenal, but he said the arrangement with the driver, who joined RFR in 2020, is one that the team expects to continue “not only through the next three years of the Fastenal relationship, but well beyond that as well.”
The sponsorship announcement comes a day after Motorsport.com and FOX Sports reported that Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski is likely to accept an offer from Roush Fenway Racing to join the organization as a driver and part-owner. Newmark declined to comment on whether the team has made the current No. 2 Penkse driver an offer, but acknowledged that there are “rumors” around the deal.
“We’re gonna keep the focus on Fastenal and our partnership, then I will attempt to deflect politely any questions around any of those rumors at this time,” Newmark said.
Since joining the team, Fastenal has nine wins in more than 220 starts across the Cup and Xfinity Series. Eight total drivers have driven with Fastenal on board for Roush Fenway Racing, which also fields the No. 6 Ford driven by Ryan Newman.
Newmark highlighted the “stability” created by Fastenal’s partnership extension as the sport attempts to bounce back from the pandemic, and said he felt “pretty excited and positive” about brands’ interest in joining NASCAR given the Next Gen car set to debut in competition in 2022 and the interest around new tracks on the schedule. Sponsorship interest is key to growing the sport since, as Newmark noted, roughly 75% of team revenue comes from those partners. Newmark called team sponsors “completely and truly integrated into everything that we do.”
Roush Fenway Racing announced a new partnership last week with blockchain platform Socios.com, while other brands such as AutoTempest.com and ITsavvy were also new partners to the team and sport that signed on earlier this year. Online car aggregator AutoTempest.com will be the primary sponsor for Buescher in the No. 17 this weekend at COTA.
Buescher, who has three top-10 finishes in 13 races so far, said that the deal with Fastenal helps to give the team “some security” knowing they will continue to be with Fastenal moving forward.
“Ultimately we had our goals set before the season started and so we have been working towards making the playoffs and winning races from the beginning, so we will keep after that in the exact same way,” Buescher said.
Fastenal president and CEO Dan Florness said that the continuation of the relationship was based in the brand being able to reach various locations and rooted in the fact that the sport has “great traditions” and Roush is led by “innovative mind” in Jack Roush.
“He’s a joy to be around,” Florness said. “And you feel that through the entire organization. And we felt that ever since we first became involved 11 years ago.”
