03.16.09: Belguim based InBev, the owners of Anheuser-Busch ("ABInBev"), announced today that the longest running sponsorship in auto racing will come to a close when Budweiser ends its 30-year relationship with Kenny Bernstein Racing's("KBR") NHRA team after the 2009 season. In their announcement, ABInBev also stated that 2009 will be the last year for Budweiser as the official beer sponsor of the NHRA. Budweiser has sponsored the NHRA since the early 1980s and is celebrating its 30th season with Kenny Bernstein Racing.
Budweiser was with Bernstein through all six of his NHRA championships, including four consecutive Funny Car titles from 1985-88 and his two Top Fuel crowns in 1996 and 2001. The relationship continued after Bernstein retired and handed over the driving duties to his son, Brandon Bernstein, in 2003. KBR will began its process of finding a new sponsor for the 2010 season. "Budweiser provided us the opportunity to make a career of doing what we love," Kenny Bernstein said. "We owe a debt of gratitude to all the Anheuser-Busch employees and wholesalers we've worked with, as well as the fans and friends who've followed and supported us all these years." The Budweiser deal made history last season when it surpassed the 28-year relationship STP had with Richard Petty to become the longest sponsorship agreement in racing. "The NHRA and Kenny Bernstein Racing have been world class partners and we're proud of everything we've accomplished together," said Dan McHugh, vice president of Anheuser-Busch. "For three decades, Budweiser helped grow the sport."
InBev, a Belgian beer company, purchased Anheuser-Busch for $49.9 billion last July. The purchase of the U.S. beer giant brought speculation over how the sale would affect Budweiser's sponsorship programs in sports. Budweiser continues to sponsor the No. 9 Dodge that Kasey Kahne drives for Richard Petty Motorsports in the Sprint Cup series.
03.16.09, Kenny Bernstein Racing Press Release: Lake Forest, CA - Kenny's Statement: “While we are disappointed by the news, the 30 years we’ve spent with Budweiser have been memorable and we’ve had experiences because of that relationship we’ll will never forget. “We owe a debt of gratitude to all the Budweiser employees and wholesalers we’ve worked with through the years, as well as the fans and friends who have followed and supported us beginning with the Funny Car era. “The Budweiser sponsorship has provided us the opportunity to make a career in the sport that we love while fielding championship-caliber teams through the years. It has been a wonderful win-win relationship for three decades.
“As a driver, Brandon has 17 career victories to his credit and to this date holds the distinguished record of having the most successful career launch of any Funny Car or Top Fuel driver in NHRA history. “We’re passionate about the sport of NHRA drag racing and plan to continue if we can secure sponsorship. We are moving forward with the search for a replacement so that we can field an NHRA team in 2010 with Brandon as the driver.
“We are proud of our long-term sponsorships, not only with Budweiser, but we’re also celebrating our 31st season with LaPaz party mixes, 22nd anniversary with Mac Tools, and our seventh season with Lucas Oil. We believe that taking a proactive role in initiating programs and promotions that help sell product and build brand awareness has been an integral part of retaining our sponsorship associations through the years. Coupled with the success we’ve had on the racetrack while flying the Budweiser colors, including six NHRA championships and 85 national event victories between Brandon and me, then it’s a very attractive opportunity for another sponsor.
“We pride ourselves on ethics and integrity. We recognize you can’t have success without good people, and we have a skilled staff that offers the opportunity for a turn-key program that is inclusive from marketing and sales to public relations, highlighted by a race team that is professional and capable of winning on Sunday.”
031609-1315 FlA Says: Glad this wasn't publicly announced until after the Gatornationals. I heard the rumor last Friday in the pits. The worst part of this news is we will be losing the Bud Girls at the end of the season *lol*. Seriously, the total withdraw of Budweiser from NHRA drag racing is more bad sponsorship news. Many foreign corporations don't give a [beep] about our American heritage and what we enjoy. They only care about how much money they can suck out of American consumers at the lowest possible cost. Further, ABInBev is drowning in a sea of acquisition debt. Bottom-line is that Kenny is a class act and the best marketer in NHRA. Brandon is also first class and a great individual. They will survive without Budweiser. The only reason ABInBev didn't pull the plug on Richard Petty is because it's a low dollar sponsorship. It's peanuts compared to Budweiser's previous sponsorship of Dale Earnhardt Jr. And, let's be honest, Richard is "The King" but RPM hasn't done squat, for many years, as to fielding a championship NASCAR team. Many fans don't know Richard is still involved in NASCAR except for his racing schools.
On a positive note, we had a fantastic three days at Gainesville. Much better than last year's Gatornationals. I will post more later this week, or weekend, when I get unburied here at work. Thanks all!
TAB UPDATE: 03.16.09: Anheuser-Busch InBev Looking to Sell Assets to Pay Off Creditors
- - It’s an awkward position, to be sure. Fresh off a $52 billion debt-fueled deal to create the world’s biggest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev looks to sell assets to pay off its creditors. But the most likely buyer for brewing assets turns out to be…its fiercest rival. Cash-stocked SABMiller of London, the world’s second-largest brewer, may be interested in swooping in and purchasing Anheuser-Busch InBev’s assets in Germany and Russia. The game of global beer-industry consolidation may be entering a new phase. The world’s largest brewers, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, SABMiller, Carlsberg and Heineken, fattened up in recent years through acquisitions, including purchases of smaller brewers in emerging economies. Now, these giants might start selling assets to each other out of necessity. Nowhere is this better seen than in Anheuser-Busch InBev’s desire to sell $7 billion of assets to help repay debt from the tide-shifting $52 billion deal that created the company last November. Depending on how things play out, Anheuser, the world’s biggest brewer by sales, may find itself in the odd position of selling operations to its next-largest rival, SABMiller.
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