The silly season drama isn’t restricted to drivers and other important personnel switching teams. It also involves major changes to the ownership of the teams, charter sales, and sponsors who contribute to the smooth functioning of the sport. Usually, multiple brands and sponsorship deals are something to cheer about, especially in the Next Gen era. But, for Brad Keselowski and RFK Racing, their ambitious plans have led to the loss of one of their sponsors.

Recently, the team announced that Ryan Preece would be driving their third entry for the 2025 season. As we know, for a team to expand, they need sponsors to fund their racing operations. And with the help of Kroger, Brad Keselowski and Co. have bolstered their racing team with multiple retail brands expected to feature on their race cars next year. But in the process, they might lose their current partner, King’s Hawaiian.

Brad Keselowski and RFK could be parting ways with King’s Hawaiian

The King’s Hawaiian, a family-owned bakery, has been with RFK Racing since 2022, and they continued to support RFK Racing in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The brand was primarily featured on co-owner Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford, but going by the latest reports, it seems like they are looking to take an exit door after working with RFK for three years straight.

According to a report by Sports Business Journal, this decision might be because of Kroger’s new partnership with RFK Racing, causing a conflict of interest. This stems from the fact that Kroger has a dozen brands under its umbrella, which include Bimbo Bakeries USA. Kroger works with all their vendors to help fund the sponsorships and share in the advertising revenues.

King’s Hawaiian did enjoy good on-track activation by partnering with RFK on the launch of their new bite-sized pretzel product. But, with Bimbo Bakeries now in the frame with its brands like Thomas’ English muffins, Ball Park buns, Sara Lee bread, Little Bites muffins, and Entenmann’s baked goods, it could see Hawaiian losing its spot with the overwhelming number of brands, directly competing with them, that are backed up by Kroger.

Neither RFK Racing nor King’s Hawaiian has made this official, but the report also stated that they are open to switching to a new team. At a time when sponsorships are highly competitive, the teams would be lining up to pitch their ideas that could bring in more funding. This could be the start of the domino effect that could see the company find its new home in a rival camp.

Where will King’s Hawaiian land next?

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It was Kroger who started this chain reaction after leaving JTG Daugherty Racing and joining RFK. King’s Hawaiian is the one reported taking an exit door, which could see them join a new outfit for the 2025 season. Now let us identify teams that could benefit from this deal and the ones that are in search of new sponsors.

First off we have Joe Gibbs Racing. Denny Hamlin and the #11 team parted ways with their long-time sponsor FedEx. Gone are the days when one company or brand would fund the entirety of the racing schedule. This was evident with Sports Clips and Yahoo being featured on the #11 Toyota Camry. FedEx had already been cutting down on the number of races that they would fund, and they eventually announced their exit after 19 years of being together. So, there is a possibility that King’s Hawaiian could join the #11 team for 2025.

Another option is with Hendrick Motorsports and Chase Elliott. Like Hamlin, HMS lost out on its long-time partner Hooters. The restaurant chain had been facing a financial crunch that forced them to pull the plug on their NASCAR spending. The good thing for King’s Hawaiian is that, unlike JGR, they would only have to fund a limited number of races. Moreover, the appeal of partnering with the winningest team in NASCAR does have its perks. So, this is indeed a lucrative option.

Well, there’s also an option of King’s Hawaiian taking an exit from NASCAR itself. Given how multiple brands and companies have closed their accounts, something similar can happen with them.