Crown Royal to End Roush Relationship, Exit Official Nascar Deal

Crown will shift its brand strategy with regard to Nascar, announcing today that it has decided to end its team deal with Roush Fenway, as well as its official sponsorship of Nascar, in order to consolidate its activation efforts around the Your Name 400 in Richmond, which annually passes on the naming rights to military servicemen and women. Here's the announcement that just landed in our inbox.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM CROWN ROYAL:

In evaluation of our NASCAR programming and after much consideration, we have made the decision to make a strategic shift to focus our resources against our annual Crown Royal “Your Name Here” program which awards race naming rights to an adult fan. The Your Name Here program has provided NASCAR fans with an experience that is unrivaled in sports and in recent years has shed light on some of the remarkable military servicemen and servicewomen who proudly serve our country. We look forward to elevating this program as well as continuing our presence in the sport through an experience that our fans have grown to love. The specific details regarding how we will honor these heroes at next year’s entitlement will be announced at a later date.

In shifting our strategy, we will end our sponsorships with Roush Fenway Racing and NASCAR upon the conclusion of the 2011 season. We have developed strong relationships with the people at both organizations - they have not only been fantastic business partners, but have also become our friends. We thank them for working with us throughout the years to showcase the importance of our social responsibility initiatives. We look forward to a strong finish to the 2011 season and like the many fans we’ve gained along the way, we’ll never stop rooting for the No. 17 car on its way to Victory Lane.

- Yvonne Briese, VP Marketing, DIAGEO NA Whisky

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