The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is going to have a new name in the very near future as the camping gear company announced it is ending its longtime sponsorship agreement with NASCAR.
Marcus Lemonis, chairman and CEO of Camping World, made the announcement on social media, saying that the company wants to take that money and re-invest it in its workers.
Lemonis appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio soon after to discuss the decision as well.
“It’s a tough call to make,” Lemonis said. “What really drove it for me was – it’s gonna sound odd to people – but I was watching the marketplace change and I was watching inflation take off and I was watching the cost of housing and car payments and everything for our 14,000 people just get more expensive every day.
“You got to make tough calls, and we’re in an environment and economy that I think is going to be perfectly fine because we’re resilient people. My people matter to me more than a sticker on a car or a name on television. It’s just at the end of the day, I’m watching people struggle.”
Camping World has been. the Truck Series sponsor since 2009. Before that, Craftsman was the original sponsor. Ironically, it’s been reported that they could return to being the name sponsor now.
In the meantime, the news that Camping World would no longer sponsor the Truck Series garnered some reactions from the NASCAR world.
[Marcus Lemonis, Front Stretch]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.