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Monster Energy update: No decision, no timetable on NASCAR renewal

By Nick Tylwalk

BRISTOL, TN - APRIL 23: A view of a Monster Energy logo as it rains prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 23, 2017 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
BRISTOL, TN - APRIL 23: A view of a Monster Energy logo as it rains prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 23, 2017 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /
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The latest news is no news when it comes to Monster Energy sticking around as the title sponsor of NASCAR’s top series.

The NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday night at Daytona set a record by going to five overtimes before it was settled. The decision on whether or not Monster Energy is going to be the title sponsor of the top series in stock car racing feels like it might already be in the equivalent of its third OT and on its way to more.

Even with the hype and pageantry of the 60th Daytona 500 as a backdrop, there remains lingering uncertainty about whether Monster Energy will renew its two-year deal to have its name and logo prominently featured in the NASCAR Cup Series. That deal expires at the end of the 2018 season, which is now underway.

Despite several deadlines having come and gone, there’s been a sense that Monster Energy has yet to make up its mind about renewing for another two years, and that remains the case even after Daytona. ESPN’s Bob Pockrass asked a Monster exec in charge of sports partnerships for an update, and the only new development is that there is no new development.

"” … no decision yet on whether to extend the Cup Series sponsorship for 2019-20. He said anything is possible, no set deadline to make a decision.”"

While the “anything is possible” part is interesting, this is really a binary decision: to renew or not to renew. Other Monster Energy personnel have couched their opinions in buzzwords like “activation,” but the bottom line is that the company appears unsure of whether it’s getting full value from its series sponsorship. Monster also sponsors the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driven by Kurt Busch in a deal that predates its Cup Series agreement.

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It’s also clear by now that NASCAR is willing to give Monster Energy as long as it wants to make up its mind, a process that now looks like it will go well into the 2018 season. The longer Monster deliberates, the more of a gamble it is for NASCAR, but it’s one that the sport’s governing body appears fully committed to at this point.

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