Fansided

Menards to sponsor both Paul Menard, Ryan Blaney next season

By Nick Tylwalk

TALLADEGA, AL - MAY 07: Paul Menard, driver of the #27 Valvoline/Menards Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 7, 2017 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
TALLADEGA, AL - MAY 07: Paul Menard, driver of the #27 Valvoline/Menards Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 7, 2017 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Menards will sponsor races for both Wood Brothers and Team Penske next season.

In a NASCAR environment where sponsor dollars are as tight as they’ve been in years, Paul Menard has a leg up over many other drivers. His father, John Menard, owns Menards, the company that sponsors many of his races — but that doesn’t mean the company can’t appear on other drivers’ cars too.

Indeed, that’s exactly what will happen during the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. With Menard coming in as the new driver of No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford, Menards will sponsor him for 22 races. But as reported by Jayski, Menards will also be the primary on the No 12 Team Penske Ford, driven by current Wood Brothers driver Ryan Blaney, for 14 races.

That means Menards will appear on the hood of one car or another for every race in the 2018 season. Additional sponsorship for the 12 has yet to be announced. Motorcraft and Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers, a long-running Wood Brothers partner will fill out the remainder of the schedule on the hood of the 21.

Next: Chase Elliott will drive the No. 9, William Byron in the 24 for Hendrick in 2018

Menards has a relationship with Penske from its IndyCar team that began last season.

“Working with an organization like Team Penske means you are always going to be in contention for race wins and championships,” John Menard said in a press release. “And winning races and championships puts your brand in front of a lot of people. We’ve had a great run in motorsports over the years and with that has come a lot of success. Now, we are excited to keep that going with both NASCAR and INDYCAR programs with Team Penske.”

The deal gives Menards a nice range of sorts, with Menard a veteran who doesn’t typically challenge for race wins but did make the 2015 Chase and Blaney one of the sport’s hottest rising stars.

Home/NASCAR