GARY B. GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
SPARTA, Ky. (AP) — Joe Gibbs Racing has announced a contract extension for driver Matt Kenseth and Dollar General’s expanded sponsorship of his No. 20 Toyota Camry.
The discount store chain will sponsor the car for 30 races in 2015 including the season-opening Daytona 500. That’s up from 27 events this year and 17 in 2013.
Dollar General’s increased involvement comes at a time when sponsors are cutting down and doing more 12-16-race deals. Company chairman Rick Dreiling said Saturday that Kenseth’s success with JGR and his appeal made it easy to expand the company’s involvement.
“Bottom line, expanding this partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and Matt Kenseth is great for our business,” Dreiling said, “and more importantly, it’s great for our brand.”
JGR president J.D. Gibbs didn’t specify the length of Kenseth’s extension, only that it was for a “number of years.”
Both announcements pleased the 2003 champion, who said his relationships with the team and sponsor “has been a great fit for me.”
Kenseth will start 14th in Saturday night’s 400-mile race at Kentucky Speedway, where he earned one his career-high seven wins last season en route to a runner-up points finish to Jimmie Johnson. He’s winless this season but fourth in points.
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