Hoardings with the name “Sunoco” on them have been a staple in NASCAR races over the last couple of decades. The gasoline distributor became the official fuel supplier for all three national divisions of NASCAR in 2004. However, 2025 happens to be the final year of the contract between the two parties. William Byron, for one, is not worried about a potential fallout.
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The Daytona 500 champion was on an interview with CNBC when he was asked about Sunoco not reaching a deal with NASCAR yet. He responded by highlighting how companies come in and go out regularly in motorsports and that it is not such a big deal. He also expressed confidence in the future by pointing out the influx of brands like Michael Jordan and Axalta.
His words went, “There’s a lot of different sponsors coming in. Like, having Michael Jordan come in as an owner shows that the sport has a lot of promise to it. Just having different partners come along. Like Axalta, who’s our biggest sponsor. So, I think it just kind of goes in waves. Different companies come in and go out of the sport.”
The deal with Sunoco comes to an end on top of the major changes the company has made in its operations over the recent past. For one, it has begun focusing more on B2B relations rather than on B2C.
This does not spell well for NASCAR, an organization that wants to appeal to the final man down the line. It is yet to be seen which company can fill the large shoes of Sunoco.
Byron’s thoughts on the growth of NASCAR
Following a long period of low ratings and audience, NASCAR is just beginning to gain momentum again. It’s holding races in the streets of Chicago, it’s bringing in foreign superstars like Shane van Gisbergen into the game, and it’s flying to international avenues to set cities like Mexico ablaze with speed.
From Byron’s point-of-view, there’s more to NASCAR currently than just all this. He said about how the sport keeps growing through all the challenges, “It’s just telling the story of the drivers, the teams and the technical side. I mean, it’s a very technical sport. I feel the entertainment aspect of the sport has continued to grow.”
“The racing is really exciting right now. The cars are super close together. So, it’s just putting on good races and hopefully that grows as a sport too.” Byron finished the Cup Series race in Atlanta in 27th place on Sunday after winning his second Daytona 500 the earlier weekend. His next appearance will be at the Circuit of the Americas.
