Ryan Ellis has had a very unconventional NASCAR National Series career, which will see him compete in more than a half-season for the first time in his 12-year career this season. So, it makes sense that his latest primary sponsor partnership developed in an unconventional manner, as well.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, a fast-growing restaurant chain with more than 700 locations, will bring its red, yellow, and black colors to the No. 43 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet Camaro in this weekend’s Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The paint scheme is awesome, and it was all only possible due to a decision by Ellis to Tweet a photo of his No. 43 Alpha Prime Racing team’s post-race meal following the March 4th race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Along with the photo, Ellis added the caption, “Sponsor us @raisingcanes.”
Sponsor us @raisingcanes pic.twitter.com/QbuIoNug6o
— Ryan Ellis (@ryanellisracing) March 5, 2023
Ellis, 33, shot his shot and it paid off.
While it was his latest Cane’s tweet that initiated the conversation for the Talladega partnership, that March 4th tweet was not the first time that Ellis has mentioned the company on Twitter.
When Josh Bilicki landed a sponsorship with Sargento Cheese in August 2022 after running into some on-track signage from the company at Road America, Ellis joked by asking if anyone had any Chipotle or Raising Cane’s banners or signs near them.
does anyone have any @ChipotleTweets or @raisingcanes banners/signs near them? ? https://t.co/PVFGdIiHVg
— Ryan Ellis (@ryanellisracing) August 10, 2022
Fast forward eight months, and Ellis was able to make the sponsorship with Raising Cane’s a reality. And for the Chicken Finger establishment, this marks its first attempt at plastering its logo on a 200-mile-per-hour billboard.
“Raising Cane’s is excited to make its NASCAR debut by sponsoring Ryan and the Alpha Prime Race Racing team at Talladega this season,” said Raising Cane’s Founder and CEO Todd Graves said in an Alpha Prime Racing press release. “We look forward to cheering Ryan on and seeing the Raising Cane’s ONE LOVE #43 racecar compete in front of thousands of fans at the iconic Talladega Superspeedway.”
For Ellis, who has put together partnerships with a lot of iconic brands so far in 2023, he just can’t believe that he continues to find ways to partner with brands that he actually is a fan of at his core. Ellis says he has had a longtime relationship with Raising Cane’s as a customer.
“Honestly, it’s pretty surreal talking about this,” said Ellis. “I’ve been a huge fan of Raising Cane’s since I first tried it a long time ago. They offer craveable chicken finger meals, and I’ve always been impressed by their speed and service. I listened to Todd Graves’ (Founder and CEO of Raising Cane’s) podcast with Theo Von, and it was so cool hearing his story and how Cane’s got its start. I know that NASCAR fans are customers of Raising Cane’s, and I hope that their love of the brand will continue to grow with Raising Cane’s entry into the sport.”
The love for Raising Cane’s isn’t limited to just Ellis, it seems as though the love for the marinated hand-battered chicken fingers, Texas toast, crinkle fries, and the iconic “Cane’s Sauce” extends to the entire team.
“Raising Cane’s is a beloved brand, and it is so exciting to see them on Ryan’s racecar,” said David Schildhouse, Vice President of Alpha Prime Racing. “Lunch at Raising Cane’s was a weekly tradition for me when I lived in Scottsdale and Las Vegas. We’re going to be hungry at Talladega, both for a victory and for some delicious Raising Cane’s chicken fingers.”
The No. 43 Raising Cane’s Chevrolet Camaro will take to the track in the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, April 22nd and the race will be broadcast on FS1 with coverage kicking off at 4:00 PM ET.
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