Monster Energy Drink Named New NASCAR Series Sponsor

In the beginning it was the Winston Cup. In 2004, the series was was turned over to Nextel. Just eight years ago, Sprint became the title sponsor. Now, Monster Energy drink will be the elite racing cup sponsor in 2017.

The announcement was made during last week's end of season activities in Las Vegas. The terms of the deal were not announced, but NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian France said it will be a "multi-year" contract. Monster will become the title sponsor of the annual All-Star race in Charlotte and Monster will be the official energy drink sponsor of NASCAR.

Sprint announced in December of 2014 it would be ending its $75 million title sponsorship with Jimmie Johnson winning his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. It's not usual to tie up a sponsor deal with just two months to go before Daytona, therefore NASCAR and Monster will have to maximize their joint marketing efforts. The audience is also not accepting of change and not to mention the company is trying to attract a younger demographic. The Monster brand is not totally new to the sport. Kurt Busch drove a Monster-sponsored car last year while his younger brother Kyle has driven a NOS-sponsored car for the Xfinity Series. NOS is a subsidiary brand of Monster.