With FedEx Gone, Who's Next?

^{Dec 9, 2024 | Edition #108}

👋 Dear Motorheads,

You know NASCAR’s not just about the drivers or the teams. If you really look at it, those sponsors are the ones that make the whole unforgettable experience possible. Plus, who doesn’t immediately think “Hamlin” the second they spot a FedEx-branded car flying by? But here’s the thing—FedEx won’t be on the #11 car next season, and Denny’s being a realist about it.

Yep, that chapter’s closing. But, rumor has it, another heavy hitter is ready to swoop in and take the spotlight. Speaking of big, today, we also dive into some mind-blowing stats from the 2024 season.

And yes, we have a small tweak! You might notice ‘Lucky Dog’s Recommended Reads’ show up a bit earlier in today’s lineup. We’re mixing things up to keep it fresh—Let us know what you think!

Quick Glimpse Into Today’s Stories:

📦 Who Is Replacing FedEx at JGR?

🎯 7 Biggest Stats From the 2024 Season!

😔 Noah Gragson Misses Out on the Derby Cup!

🎉 Celebrating Two NASCAR Veterans!

🗣️ Talk of the NASCAR Town

King’s Hawaiian in Talks With the Big Teams

You all know in NASCAR, team and sponsor relationships are sacred. But when a sponsor's business goals start to shift, even the longest partnerships can come to an end. And that’s exactly what’s happened with Denny Hamlin and his long-time sponsor, FedEx. Hamlin's 19-season-long partner have announced that they’re “stepping back from long-term sports sponsorships across the board.” The decision came as a part of their broader refocus on other business priorities.

However, the talks have it. The multi-billion dollar-worth King’s Hawaiian, the family-owned bakery, is likely to leave Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing. The likely reason? RFK inked a deal with retail giant Kroger who also happens to be the direct competitor of King’s Hawaiian. 

Now you must be wondering where that leaves King’s Hawaiian. It just makes sense for the sponsor to team up with JGR, one of NASCAR’s winningest teams. And with Denny Hamlin’s proven success on the track, it would be a win-win for both sides. But another possibility for them is to take the FedEx route out. However, that seems unlikely because, in the three years that they partnered with RFK, they enjoyed good on-track activations, like the launch of their new bite-sized pretzel product, with some unique paint schemes.

And not every sponsor benefits like that in NASCAR. In fact, they extended their deal with RFK in 2023 because they "exceeded all goals"—measuring everything from media value to fan engagement. So now, if JGR isn’t suitable, King’s Hawaiin has few other options in NASCAR.

Coming into the picture is the fan favorite, Chase Elliott’s #9 car, which not so long ago parted ways with famed restaurant chain ‘Hooters’. Or maybe with the fast-growing 23XI team, where Bubba Wallace lost multi-billion dollar sponsor ‘DoorDash’ this year. Another prospect could be Front Row Motorsports as the team aims to introduce its third charter in 2025.

However, with 23XI and FRM engaged in the lawsuit and 23XI already getting the U.S. Air Force as the primary sponsor for Wallace, HMS, and JGR seem like the most logical options. Of course, only time will tell where King’s Hawaiian lands for the 2025 season.

More Updates? What Is Left of Denny Hamlin’s Depleting Core After Having to Deal With a Nearly $70 Billion Worth Sponsor Loss?

🏁 Lucky Dog’s Quick Poll 🏁

Last Poll’s Result: In our last edition, we asked if you wanted the scoop on how your favorite drivers are spending (or investing) their big bucks. And a solid 54.36% of you said yes! So, while Lucky Dog’s been digging into their lifestyle and prepping to spill the tea in upcoming editions. For now, let’s look at some great 2024 stats.

⏪ Season Rewind

Looking Back at the Wildest NASCAR Season

The 2024 Cup Series season was nothing short of a rollercoaster—packed with drama, surprises, and jaw-dropping moments. From pit-lane scuffles to cars flipping through the air, this season had it all. However, here are a few stats that make this season like no other.

#1 Wins, Wins, and More Wins

This season saw 18 different drivers visit victory lane, just one short of the modern-era record set in 2022 with 19 winners. And boy, were there some surprises! Who saw Harrison Burton grabbing the 100th win for Wood Brothers coming or Chase Briscoe punching his ticket to the playoffs? Here’s how Briscoe did it. 

This marks the 4th straight season with more than 15 winners. Even more impressive—23 different drivers claimed stage wins, setting a record!

#2 A Win for Martin Truex Jr (Of Sorts)

While MTJ didn’t snag a win in what was supposed to be his final season, he still pulled off something remarkable and was certainly emotional as he started his final full-time start. For the 10th consecutive year, he led more than 500 laps in a season. In fact, even in a "down" year like 2024, he managed to lead 555 laps! He’s now one of only six drivers in NASCAR history to achieve this feat. If the Hall of Fame didn’t notice before, they certainly should now.

#3 The Kyle Larson Show

When it comes to dominating a race, no one put on a show quite like Kyle Larson at Bristol. He led 462 out of 500 laps, the second-most ever in a Bristol race. While we’ve seen dominance at this track before, it was only in 1977 that Cale Yarborough led 495 laps—and before that, in 1973, he led all 500 laps. He also set new records for the most laps led by a Hendrick Motorsports driver and the biggest victory margin in the Next-Gen car era (7.008 seconds). Here, have a look at his Bristol dominance.

#4 Front Row Motorsports Surprises Us All

Despite the ongoing lawsuit, FRM had a standout season. They led 386 laps! That might not sound like much, but get this: in their previous 19 seasons combined, they only led 493 laps! Michael McDowell’s five consecutive poles on drafting tracks played a big role in FRM’s success, helping them achieve their best average start (18.5) since their debut in 2005.

#5 A Season Full of Firsts

The 2024 season was packed with “first-ever” moments. 13 races finished in overtime, setting a new NASCAR record. Nashville was the real standout, though—5 overtime restarts, which is also a record! That race went an extra 31 laps beyond the scheduled distance. And if you like last-lap drama, the season had 6 last-lap passes—another first for the record books!

#6 Record for the Closest Margins

Well, Larson beat Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds, making it the closest margin ever, but that wasn’t all. The season saw two more races joining the list of eight closest finishes ever. First Daniel Suarez bested Ryan Blaney by 0.003 seconds at Atlanta and then Ricky Stenhouse Jr took away Brad Keselowski’s chance for victory by a mere 0.006 seconds at Talladega.

#7 Bristol Can’t Seem to Have Enough Records

The season also saw the highest number of lead changes - 834. The reason why Larson’s dominance in Bristol was disappointing was because the spring race saw 54 lead changes highest ever on a track shorter than 1.5 miles. If you remember the race, teams went helter-skelter. The tire fall-off was so high that NASCAR literally had to issue more tires mid-race! And drivers’ reaction? Here’s what Keselowski, Bell, and Byron said.

It’s safe to say the 2024 season had it all—unpredictability, drama, and a whole bunch of records. The Lucky Dog can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for us!

The Goodyear Promise: “They Conspired Against Me”: NASCAR Legend Exposes Goodyear’s 30-YO Revenge After Dale Jr.’s Plea

📰 Lucky Dog's Recommended Reads

1. Kyle Busch Sets a Big Target for His 9YO Son Brexton - Full Story

2. Bubba Wallace’s Protégé Sets Sights on $50K Rival - Full Story

3. Danica Patrick Stuns Fans With Her Bold Dress – Full Story

4. After Dale Jr ‘Broke the Internet’, FloRacing Came Back Prepared - Full Story

5. Punches Flying at Gateway Dirt Nationals Echo Kyle Busch-Ricky Stenhouse Jr Fight - Full Story

📈 Trending News

Noah Gragson's Snowball Derby Misery

In our last update, we talked about how William Sawalich got under Noah Gragson’s skin during practice by bumping him out of the way. After a lot of back-and-forth and some explanations from Sawalich, Gragson decided to let it slide and focus on qualifying. By now, we all know how much the Derby means to him. “More important than the Daytona 500” were his exact words. Well, Gragson was truly looking to remove that asterisk from his 2018 win when his teammate, Raphael Lessard, faced engine failure, in the final few laps handing Gragson the win.

So, with 2024 being all about redemption, things didn’t exactly go as planned. First, the drama with Sawalich. Then, the struggle in qualifying. Still, he seemed optimistic before the main event. Unfortunately for Gragson, things quickly went south. With 28 laps to go, he was battling for 13th place, just ahead of Dustin Smith’s #33 car, when he spun out. Here is a clip of the incident. That was the end of his day, finishing 19th, while Sawalich finished P5, and sounded content.

But how did the fort runners perform? Ty Majeski, the defending champion, had been leading the whole race, with Jace Hansen closing in fast. Kaden Honeycutt, who’d been impressive all race long, was in 3rd and was looking to make a move. After the restart, Honeycutt took the inside line and powered past Majeski for the lead. Majeski wasn’t going down without a fight, though—he battled back and reclaimed the lead. But Honeycutt had the pace on him and eventually took control and was back in the lead. 

The 21-year-old Texan must feel satisfied after he “gave it everything.” And what better first can there be other than the Snowball Derby? That to defeating two-time winner and fresh off the Truck championship - Ty Majeski, who finished the race in P3.

Other notable names from NASCAR - Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith finished 7th and 8th, respectively. However, late model legend Bubba Pollard’s hopes for a win were dashed again, as he ended up 14th. Maybe the 20th time will be a charm for him!

What Exactly Happened? Emotional Yet Richer Kaden Honeycutt Pulls Off a Noah Gragson, Capitalizing on the Cup Star’s Snowball Derby Heartbreak

🫡 The Lucky Dog Salutes

Two NASCAR Veterans Just Celebrated Their Birthday

Alright, folks, while there have been some defeats and goodbye, let’s end this edition on a high note! We’ve got a couple of NASCAR veterans celebrating birthdays today. These two guys have been a huge part of what makes NASCAR feel like home, and their contributions will forever be remembered. So, let’s give a shoutout to Kevin Harvick, who just turned 49, and Ryan Newman, who hit the big 4-7 just yesterday!

Harvick’s NASCAR story took off in 2001 when, after the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt at the Daytona 500 (the clip for which gives goosebumps even today), Harvick stepped in as Earnhardt’s replacement. It was a huge moment in NASCAR history, and at just 25 years old, Harvick was thrust into the spotlight. But did he crack under pressure? Not at all. In just his third race, he won at Atlanta, beating none other than Earnhardt’s biggest rival, Jeff Gordon.

That was just the beginning. He would go on to rack up 60 Cup Series wins, 47 Xfinity wins, and 14 Truck Series victories. But the biggest achievement came in 2014 when he won the first-ever NASCAR playoff championship after joining Stewart-Haas Racing. Over his 22 full seasons, it is safe to say Harvick became a household name.

Now, Ryan Newman, who’s celebrating his 47th birthday, started full-time in the Cup Series just a year after Harvick in 2002 with Penske Racing. And right out of the gate, he impressed—winning in his rookie season and snagging the Rookie of the Year title. 

By his second season, he was already in top form, scoring eight wins, 17 top-5 finishes, and 22 top-10s. It looked like Newman was on his way to a legendary career. But as fast as his star rose, it also fell. Here’s a glimpse of his career in his own words.

Things took a turn when Harvick joined SHR and Ryan Newman landed at Harvick's old stomping ground, Richard Childress Racing (RCR). And, next thing we know, Newman’s first season at RCR in 2014 turned out to be his best. He came this close to winning it all, finishing second in the standings—right behind Harvick!

Over the course of his career, Newman tallied 18 wins, including that unforgettable 2008 Daytona 500 victory and the 2013 Brickyard 400. He also took home two "Night Before the 500" wins and, most recently, clinched the 2023 SRX Championship.

While he may not yet have a spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, he was recently named to NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers list, and for good reason. "Rocket Man" isn’t just a nickname—it's a nod to his 64 career poles across NASCAR’s top three series. Not too shabby, right?

So, here's to you both, Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick! You all have made NASCAR a whole lot more exciting over the years. We hope you both enjoyed your birthdays and thanks for all the memories! You’ve earned every bit of it!

Continue Reading: Kevin Harvick’s Wife Tries to Drive Son Keelan Away From Racing After He Just Misses Out on Victory Lane

✨ Featured Comment

While most of you guessed they’re earning big and spending big, Super Fan - Sharon Jones pointed out one of the smartest “social” investments your favorite drivers have been making for years now…

Lucky Dog's Take: NASCAR drivers keep their investments and off-season plans pretty low-key. But Lucky Dog’s got mad respect for ventures like Denny Hamlin’s Cornerstone Foundation doing big things for kids, and Ryan Newman’s Foundation making waves in animal conservation and environmental protection.

If you have any such comments, let us know in the polls. You can also write back to us. With this, the next Lucky Dog on Track 'Featured Comment' could be yours.

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