When Joe Gibbs Racing launched heading into the 1992 NASCAR Cup Series season, they had formed a partnership with Interstate Batteries as their initial primary sponsor. Fast forward to 2023, and Interstate Batteries is still a key partner with the race team and the brand will actually expand its presence with the team for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series season.
On Wednesday, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Interstate Batteries will be featured as a primary sponsor on all four of the team’s NASCAR Cup Series race cars at various events during the 2023 season.
“One of the great strengths of our partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing over the last 31 years is the way the sponsorship with them has evolved and changed as our needs as a company and brand have evolved. The expansion of Team Interstate on all four JGR cars during 2023 is the next step in the evolution of our sponsorship,” said Norm Miller, Chairman, Interstate Batteries in a team release.
According to the press release from JGR, Christopher Bell will get the first crack with the Interstate Batteries colors on his No. 20 machine at this weekend’s Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
Bell and Ty Gibbs will carry the bulk of the primary races with Interstate Batteries, but both Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin will have the familiar Interstate green on their race cars in one event this season.
Hamlin will have Interstate Batteries as a primary sponsor of his No. 11 Toyota Camry at Circuit of the Americas on March 26th while Truex will have the company on his No. 19 Toyota Camry at Pocono Raceway on July 23rd.
In addition to the primary sponsorship in the Clash, Bell will have Interstate Batteries primary sponsorship support in the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 21st, the Coca-Cola 600 on May 28th, as well as Texas Motor Speedway on September 24th and Martinsville Speedway on October 29th.
Gibbs will have the iconic brand as a co-primary sponsor on his No. 54 Toyota Camry in the season-opening Daytona 500. After Daytona, Interstate will be the full-on primary of the No. 54 machine for a total of five races.
Those five races are the Bristol Dirt Race on April 9th, Nashville on June 25th, the Chicago Street Race on July 2nd, Texas Motor Speedway on September 24th, and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on October 8th.
Interstate Batteries helped start it all for Joe Gibbs Racing, which has now amassed five NASCAR Cup Series championships since its inception in 1992. Joe Gibbs is proud to carry on the partnership.
“We’re extremely proud of our partnership with our founding sponsor, Interstate Batteries,” said Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “They have been such an important part of our team for over three decades now, and it’s exciting to have them on board all four of our cars this season. The best part of our partnership is the relationships we’ve built with everyone there over the years. It all started, of course, with Norm and Tommy Miller, and now includes Lain (Hancock) and his entire team. It’s going to be a great season.”
