RIDGEWAY, Va. – Sunday at Martinsville Speedway got off to an exciting start before the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race even began.
Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and Ally Financial CEO Jeffrey Brown joined NBC Sports Network’s pre-race show to announce that Ally Financial will join Hendrick Motorsports as the whole-season primary sponsor of Johnson’s iconic No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team in 2019 and 2020.
“To be partnered with two men like this just an absolutely fantastic opportunity for us to grow our brand, and we couldn’t be any more excited about this next chapter for us,” Brown said of Johnson and Hendrick. “We live by the mantra, ‘Do it right.’ And if you think about these two individuals and all they’ve accomplished in this sport, there is nobody better for us to partner with.”
Hendrick made it clear that the excitement is mutual.
“It’s so important to have a sponsor that’s going to be on all the cars every race for two years,” the owner said. “Jimmie deserves that. Ally is so excited and we’re going to have a lot of fun together. It’s almost like Christmas for us.”
Hendrick shared that Johnson has even been involved in working through car designs for the new ride he’ll pilot in 2019. And the driver said he can’t wait to kick off the partnership next season.
“I’m not done yet,” Johnson said. “Hendrick (Motorsports) isn’t done. Ally is ready to get in there and get to work and promote our sport to a level that hasn’t been seen. I’m the lucky guy that gets to drive this car.” Check out the exciting full announcement in the video above, courtesy of NBC Sports.