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NASCAR gives Monster extension to decide on continuing sponsorship
NASCAR has given Monster Energy an extension so the company has more time to decide if it will continue its sponsorship of the Cup Series.
Monster replaced Sprint as the Cup Series’ title sponsor for the 2017 season and signed a two-year deal with a two-year option. That means Monster is set to be the title sponsor for 2018, but 2019 and beyond are still to be determined.
NASCAR president Brent Dewar told MRN’s NASCAR Live that NASCAR had granted the company an extension past a Dec. 31 deadline to decide if Monster wanted to pick up the option.
“They signed late in the season,” Dewar said via NBC. “I worked with them very closely in bringing them to the sport. They were just looking to have a full season. They had to Dec. 31 (to determine if to agree to the renewal). We’ve given them an extension to go through the evaluation.
NASCAR announced Monster’s arrival for 2017 in December, just before the 2016 awards banquet.
Monster’s arrival in the sport reportedly came at a fraction of the price Sprint was paying NASCAR for Cup Series rights in addition to a fraction of the commitment length. Sprint, then Nextel, took over as the sponsor for Winston in the 2004 season and continued for 13 years. Before Sprint, Winston was the Cup Series’ title sponsor from 1971-2003.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
