Bass Pro Shops renewed its partnership with NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. ahead of the Daytona 500 this weekend.
The Springfield-based outdoor retailer penned a deal to work with Truex’s Furniture Row Racing team. Bass Pro will co-sponsor Truex’s No. 78 Toyota Camry during the 2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series, according to a Feb. 23 news release. A Bass Pro spokeswoman did not respond for comment by deadline on the terms of the sponsorship.
Last year, Bass Pro reunited with Truex after seven years apart. The company previously sponsored Truex until he joined Michael Waltrip Racing, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives. Truex was cut from that team when Michael Waltrip Racing downsized, leading him to join Furniture Row Racing, according to
USA Today.
Bass Pro’s sponsorship equates to 17 primary paint schemes on Truex’s vehicle during the season, including two Dayton Speedweeks events: the 150-mile qualifying race held yesterday and the Daytona 500 on Feb. 26, according to the release. Truex will start at the rear of the race after failing postrace height measurements in the qualifier, according to
ESPN.
“NASCAR is an excellent platform for Bass Pro Shops, and we are very excited to continue our longstanding relationship with Martin Truex Jr. while further aligning with our friends at Toyota,” Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris said in the release.
In 2016, Truex scored four Monster Energy Cup Series wins.