Marcus Lemonis, who has been a longtime NASCAR Truck Series entitlement sponsor through his two companies Gander Outdoors and Camping World, has confirmed that Camping World will not return as the title sponsor of the series in 2023.
Lemonis broke the news on Wednesday evening via a statement released to Twitter. In the statement, Lemonis said sponsoring the NASCAR Truck Series was, “an amazing opportunity.”
In the statement, Lemonis attributed doing what’s best for the people involved in Camping World as the reasoning for leaving NASCAR.
Lemonis went on to say, “In acknowledging what matters most, OUR PEOPLE, we have made the decision to reallocate those marketing dollars towards increasing the income and benefits of OUR PEOPLE.”
Here is the complete statement from Lemonis:
What a ride it’s been! Thank you @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/yLZjJN6OXr
— Marcus Lemonis (@marcuslemonis) July 27, 2022
Camping World took over the naming rights of the NASCAR Truck Series following the 2008 season, when the original Series sponsor — Craftsman — left the sport.
Since 2009, Camping World has been the name synonymous with the Truck Series, aside from a two-year stretch of Gander Outdoors — another Lemonis company — holding the role in 2019 and 2020.
In addition to serving as the entitlement sponsor of the Series, Camping World and Lemonis brought primary sponsorship to countless drivers and teams, including handfuls of Truck Series drivers and teams, who were needing sponsorship in order to survive, in several races in 2021.
At the height of Lemonis’ wild sponsorship spending spree in 2021, Lemonis-owned companies were represented on 10 trucks in the spring Truck Series race at Atlanta.
In addition to sponsorships, Lemonis was also instrumental in launching The Triple Truck Challenge bonus program in 2019, as well as a $25,000 bounty for any full-time NASCAR Truck Series team that won the 2020 NCWTS event at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Overall, Lemonis has left his mark on the NASCAR Truck Series and the entire sport of NASCAR as a whole and now it’s time for him to find somewhere else to make just as big of an impact.
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