Busch Light has made a very unique announcement. On Monday, the beer brand announced that they will be divvying up $10-million to spend over the next three seasons between every female NASCAR driver over the age of 21.
This is a move by Busch Light to be a part of making the sport of NASCAR more inclusive.
“Busch Light is proud to play a part in the larger cultural movement toward equity in sport, and the program will help build the next generation of women drivers by elevating those who currently pave the path,” Busch Light explained in a corporate press release.
Toni Breidinger, Natalie Decker, Amber Balcaen, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Brittney Zamora, Stephanie Moyer and Melissa Fifield are listed as the inaugural sponsorship recipients of the Busch Light Accelerate Her program. The release explains the program has, “an eye toward the future,” as a portion of the $10-million commitment will be reserved as a standing sponsorship fund for up-and-coming talent.
Cobb, 48, has served the role of underdog driver / owner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for years. She has amassed 230-career starts in the Truck Series, with one career top-10 finish, a sixth-place effort at Daytona International Speedway in 2011. Cobb, who has done a lot with a little over the years, should certainly be able to improve with help from Busch Light.
Aside from Cobb, the remaining roster of female drivers in the program are 29-years old or younger.
Decker, 24, has run part-time in the NASCAR National Series since 2019. The driver, who scored a top-five in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Daytona in 2020, is expected to announce a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series deal for 2022.
Breidinger, 21, and Balcaen, 29, are set for full-time campaigns in the ARCA Menards Series in 2022.
Moyer, 24, competes in the ARCA Menards Series East while Zamora, 22, is a late model ace and Fifield, 29, is a longstanding veteran of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
This is a massive deal for a sports league, NASCAR, which has not had a full-time female competitor at it’s highest level — the NASCAR Cup Series — since Danica Patrick retired from full-time competition following the 2017 season.
Now, the beer brand has a talented crop of female drivers to help elevate to the next level as the overall objective of the program is to provide more funding, track time, media exposure and training to prospective female NASCAR racers 21 years and older.
