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As first reported on Monday by Tripp Mickle of Sports Business Journal’s Sport Business Daily, longtime NASCAR sponsor, The Home Depot will be leaving the sport after their contract expires with Joe Gibbs Racing for sponsorship of their No. 20 Toyota Camry at the end of this season.
Home Depot, which splits the primary sponsorship of the No. 20 car with retailer Dollar General, only had the brand on the hood of the race car for 11 out of 38 events this season, and many of them with their ‘Husky’ tools brand in the forefront. Home Depot began in NASCAR back in 1999 with then, rookie sensation Tony Stewart behind the wheel of the orange No. 20 car which was made famous by Stewart, winning two Sprint Cup titles under the home improvement giant’s banner.
In 2009, with Stewart’s departure from JGR to field his own team with Gene Haas at Stewart-Haas Racing, Joey Logano entered the seat of the No. 20, until 2012, when Matt Kenseth came over to Gibbs after being with Jack Roush at Roush-Fenway Racing for his entire career.
Factors that are thought to contribute to Home Depot’s decision to take their marketing dollars elsewhere range from lack of sponsorship return on investment, to strong competition and a un-even ‘share of voice’ between Home Depot’s sponsorship and that of key competitor in the home improvement retail market, Lowe’s, who has associated their brand with Jimmie Johnson, a proven winner, and six-time Sprint Cup champion, with three of those coming in the last five years alone. Home Depot’s last title came in 2011 with Tony Stewart.
Neither officials from Home Depot nor Joe Gibbs Racing have made any comment on this story.
“Home Depot’s last championship came with Tony Stewart in 2011″… Really?!!!
I thought he won that with SHR after leaving JGR. Guess I need to check my facts better.
I live right between a Home Depot and a Lowes. I like to buy American when I can so I have avoided the Home Depot while they choose to use their dollars to pump up a foreign auto maker. I doubt there are many of us buy Americans left but In this economy even a few can make a difference.
It would be nice to see a reunion with Stewart at some point. One of the iconic driver-sponsor combos in NASCAR history.
I wondered how the NASCAR/Gibbs witch hunt last year might affect the Home Depot deal. But no Hendrick or satellite teams are adversely affected so this is just not news.
Can’t blame Home Depot. Would you want to spend $20 million.+/- on a team that nascar went after over parts that were less than the weight of two envelopes off?
If I’m a sponsor, I’m going after a Hendrick team or hooking up with nascar itself. Or I’ll sponsor a race or a series. You have to play the game right to win.