Sprint Nextel officials indicated that the hiring of new President & CEO Dan Hesse "will not affect" its sponsorship of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Sprint CMO Tim Kelly: "Dan is returning to Sprint Nextel with a familiarity of the business and our NASCAR sponsorship and will be able to hit the ground running" ( SCENEDAILY.com, 12/19 ). SELLING TRUCKS : Sears' Craftsman brand will be out as sponsor of NASCAR's truck series after the '08 season, and ESPN.com's John Schwarb wrote the sponsorship is believed to be valued at about $5M a year. NASCAR CMO Steve Phelps said in looking for a new sponsor, "I'm not sure that we're going to see a huge departure from a company that is more male-focused, but we're not discouraging those companies from looking or taking a hard look. We might go past what some people might think are the obvious places to look." Just Marketing Founder & CEO Zak Brown said, "I think Craftsman was a good fit, and for a company who kind of goes after that male 25-to-54, blue-collar working individual, it's a very good sponsorship to acquire" ( ESPN.com, 12/20 ). CROWN 'EM: Crown Royal and Irwin Industrial Tools will again sponsor Jamie McMurray and his No. 26 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the Sprint Cup Series for the '08 season. Crown Royal will serve as the primary sponsor for 25 races, the Budweiser Shootout on February 9 and the All-Star race on May 17, while Irwin will sponsor McMurray for 11 races ( SCENEDAILY.com, 12/19 ). BRIDGESTONE : Bridgestone beginning in January will begin a three-year contract through the 2010 season as the official tire supplier to the FIA F1 World Championships ( Bridgestone ).
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