History of Wendy’s as a NASCAR Sponsor: Details About Past Deals and Drivers

Over the years NASCAR sponsors and the special paint job cars become an iconic symbol in NASCAR. But while brands like NAPA auto parts and Interstate Batteries have a long history in the sport and are a recurring theme on cars across the season, not every other brand is blessed that way. There is one brand that was able to finally find its footing in NASCAR after appearing initially back in the 80s and that’s Wendy’s.

That’s right; the first time Wendy’s appeared in NASCAR was back in 1984 but that was in the Busch Grand National Series (Xfinity) that too for a small amount of time. After that, they came back on the Xfinity scene with Noah Gragson for his Talladega run back in 2022. When Gragson moved to the Cup Series with Legacy Motor Club, the fast food brand followed him to the top division taking on the primary sponsor role.

Even when Gragson arrived in Chicago for the inaugural street race, the brand left no stone unturned to remind people of their presence when they dressed the former LMC driver with an outfit flaunting a bacon all-over print. But their journey with Gragson was a short-lived affair since he was suspended from the sport following a social media controversy.

Wendy’s to continue in NASCAR with another team in the 2024 season

Despite the setback, Wendy’s decided to partner up with another team on the grid for the 2024 season working their paint schemes across multiple racing series and races. The team in question is the Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and Shane van Gisbergen (Xfinity) starer Trackhouse Racing.

The deal will allow the brand to join Trackhouse Racing as an associate partner throughout the season for the three Cup Series entries. Additionally, they will also become the primary marketing partner for a couple of events with the first involving SVG at Talladega Superspeedway.

Aside from their Cup Series deal, Wendy’s will also feature in the Xfinity Series on two occasions once for Suarez and once for van Gisbergen in the #97 Kaulig Racing car. If everything goes well for them this time around, this could be considered a fresh start towards something great for the Wendy’s brand in their NASCAR sponsorship future.