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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Penske, Shell Deal A Blockbuster
Mobil 1 and Penske have been technology partners for 19 years...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted April 21, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Team owner Richard Childress is looking for a sponsor to replace Shell/Pennzoil in 2011. (Photo: Getty Images)
In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, nothing is permanent — drivers change, crew chiefs change, teams and sponsors come and go. But few changes in recent memory are as dramatic and far-reaching as Wednesday morning’s announcement that Shell Oil Co. will bolt Richard Childress Racing and move to Penske Racing in 2011.

This shift isn’t just a new team for the sponsor; it’s the trigger to a whole series of dominoes on the Sprint Cup side. The salient points:

• In 2011, Kurt Busch will move from the No. 2 Miller Lite-sponsored Dodge that he’s driven for the past five seasons with Penske to the No. 22 Penske Dodge with Shell/Pennzoil sponsorship.

• Brad Keselowski will take over the No. 2 Miller Lite entry next season.

• Penske is in its 19th and now final year as a technology partner with Mobil 1, the longest-running sponsor/team relationship in NASCAR. Mobil 1 has been a stalwart sponsor of all of Penske’s racing efforts, including the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the Izod IndyCar Series.

To have that pairing end is nothing short of shocking. It also raises a question about Penske’s No. 77 Sprint Cup car, which is sponsored by Mobil 1 and driven by Sam Hornish Jr. Who will step in to replace Mobil 1 on that car and will Hornish drive it next year or be replaced by young Justin Allgaier, who has been so impressive in Penske’s NASCAR Nationwide car? Sources said announcements on both the driver and sponsor of the No. 77 for next year will be made shortly.

A source close to the negotiations told SPEEDtv.com that Shell had been shopping its sponsorship deal for quite a while, and that Penske was one of, if not the last teams to go after the package. Given Roger Penske’s vast automotive empire, this deal made great sense for both sides.

The questions are even bigger on the Richard Childress Racing side of the equation. Shell/Pennzoil has sponsored Kevin Harvick in the No. 29 RCR Chevrolet since the start of the 2007 season, when the oil company replaced GM Goodwrench on the flanks of the RCR Chevy.

This year, RCR downsized from four cars to three after losing sponsor Jack Daniel’s. And Harvick is in the final year of his contract with RCR. Publicly, Harvick has been very quiet about his plans, and team owner Richard Childress has indicated that he’s trying to sign Harvick to a new contract.

An interesting twist to the story is that Harvick and Busch are two drivers who genuinely dislike each other, and this should only stoke those fires.

As for Mobil 1, last November, the company announced a technology partnership with TRD, U.S.A., Toyota’s American racing arm. This year, all Toyota teams that are using TRD engines are running Mobil 1 racing oil and lubricants. If Mobil 1 continues as a primary sponsor in NASCAR after departing from Penske, it’s almost certain they would go to a Toyota team.

But like most everything else in this complicated tale, the wheels are just beginning to turn on this deal, with lots more fallout expected in the days and weeks ahead.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEEDtv.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Grand Opening is set for May 11, 2010. Outdoor Opening Ceremonies are May 11th from 9 to 10 am ET free of charge, open to the public. Outdoor festivities including driver appearances and concerts May 11th from 10 am until 8 pm ET open to the public, free of charge. Tickets to enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame are on sale now at www.NASCARHall.com or by calling 877-231-2010. The countdown to the NASCAR Hall of Fame is on! Visit www.NASCARHall.com/50days for daily updates about the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
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