MillerCoors extends sponsorship of Penske, Brad Keselowski effort
Brad Keselowski talks with reporters during the Penske Racing portion of the Sprint Cup Media Tour Thursday in Concord. // Sam Cranston, NASCAR Illustrated
CONCORD, N.C. – Penske Racing officials made sure there were no issues with driver Brad Keselowski and crew chief Paul Wolfe late last season, signing both to multiyear contract extensions.
Thursday, a similar extension was announced with MillerCoors, which provides primary sponsorship for the No. 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team through its Miller Lite brand.
In just his second full season with Penske Racing, and his first with the Miller Lite branding, Keselowski won three Cup races, qualified for the 10-race Chase For The Sprint Cup and finished a career-best fifth in points. His contract was scheduled to end after the 2012 season, but Penske locked him in for longer last December.
Keselowski, whose team began to surge just days after its driver was injured while testing at Road Atlanta, said the continuation of the sponsorship agreement rounds out moves made by the organization as it prepared for 2012.
“All these announcements made over the last two months,” he said, “give us continuity and, for lack of a better term, selling power, to continue to bring in key people we need. And this sport is about people.”
Keselowski noted that Penske will field four fully sponsored cars for 2012 – two in Cup and two in the Nationwide Series, a testament to the organization’s appeal in a difficult economy.
It was also announced that Coors Light, also a product of MillerCoors, has extended its sponsorship as the official beer of NASCAR and its Coors Light Pole Award program for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series.
