Hendrick Motorsports has entered an eight-year sponsorship deal with UniFirst, a workwear and textile service company, to sponsor the No. 5 car currently driven by Kasey Kahne.
The company will sponsor Kahne for two races in 2016 and 2017, before increasing to three a year beginning in 2018. UniFirst will also be a full-time associate sponsor while also supplying work clothing and uniforms to Hendrick Motorsports.
The uniform producer will appear on the No. 5 this season at Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 23) and Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 30).
Excited to announce our 8-year deal with @TeamHendrick as a sponsor of No.5 #NASCAR team to debut Oct 23 at @TalladegaSuperS. pic.twitter.com/YDDd0U21kR
— UniFirst (@UniFirst_Corp) October 6, 2016
“When a sponsor feels strongly enough to commit for eight years, it sends a clear message,” said owner Rick Hendrick in a press release. “There’s tremendous excitement about the opportunities our team and our sport present for UniFirst. They have a reputation for world-class service, the highest quality products and services, and having incredible people. We share a similar mindset and culture, and we’re looking forward to working together across our entire organization.”
The addition of UniFirst to Hendrick’s sponsor family joins the recent news that Great Clips will continue sponsoring Kahne through 2018. Kahne has 17 Sprint Cup wins but none since 2014. He missed the 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup for the second year in a row.