Rick Hendrick Holding On to a $5.46 Billion-Worth Partner’s Services Forces NASCAR Fandom’s Eyes on Kyle Larson’s Situation

In NASCAR, like most other sports organizations, sponsorships are the lifeblood of teams, providing essential funding and support. As such, even for the winningest teams, every sponsor is crucial. One such sponsor for Rick Hendrick & Co. is Valvoline Inc., a global leader in vehicle care and supplier of premium-branded lubricants and automotive services.

Hendrick Motorsports and their partnership goes way back. They have been associated since 2014, and it looks like we’ll be seeing more of Valvoline this season and, in fact, till 2029! On Wednesday, HMS announced a five-year contract extension with Valvoline. And although this is great news for the team, it has raised certain eyebrows for fans and, most likely, other team owners!

Is Rick Hendrick’s golden boy staying in HMS until at least 2029?

As part of the extension, the new 5-year agreement with the $5.46 billion company brings in the primary sponsorship to William Byron of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for eight races. This is up from the previous three-race deal. It will also sponsor the car for 6 races per year for the next 5 years, beginning in 2025. Plus, it will remain an associate sponsor partner for all four Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR Cup series entries through the end of the 2029 season. As for Kyle Larson, Valvoline will also remain a three-race primary sponsor partner.

In addition, Valvoline will remain the presenting sponsor of the annual Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown, a competition that brings together Hendrick Motorsports engine builders and Hendrick Automotive Group master technicians. In a statement, team owner Rick Hendrick expressed, “We’re privileged to expand our incredible relationship with Valvoline. They raise the bar each season, from the elite performance of the products in our race cars to the fan-favorite Valvoline paint scheme designs.”

The sponsorship news is generally positive, but the details of Kyle Larson’s sponsorship extension raise some important questions. In particular, does this new deal mean that Larson will continue his partnership with Hendrick Motorsports beyond his current contract? We know Kyle Larson has a multi-year contract signed with HMS through 2026. And this deal with Valvoline goes through 2029. So, does this mean that Kyle Larson already has a new contract in place with the team?

Seeing as Larson is one of the best drivers on the grid, this move effectively closes the door for other team owners hoping to recruit the No. 5 HMS driver. Naturally, fans took to social media to question the recent deal, not only about his potential return to the winningest team in NASCAR but also about his struggles with sponsors in the past.

For those unfamiliar, in early 2020, after the fourth race of the season, team owner Chip Ganassi fired Kyle Larson for using a deplorable racial slur during an online racing event. As a result, NASCAR promptly suspended Larson from all series, and Chevrolet, along with many of his sponsors, quickly severed ties with him.

It was then, after months of NASCAR-mandated sensitivity training and numerous public service initiatives, that NASCAR reinstated Kyle Larson in the fall of 2020. Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon fully supported the decision to pursue Larson, as did Campbell and Chevrolet Racing. As a fan posted Bob Pockrass’ tweet on Reddit, the NASCAR community buzzed over the potential consequences of HMS’s extending partnership with Valvoline.

The NASCAR community believes Kyle Larson is “under contract till 2029” 

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The fact that sponsors have chosen to extend the deal for half a decade with the Rick Hendrick team is a huge thing. But is it surprising? The team members are happy. The team has their best foot forward; the drivers are young, and they have the zeal to get the ball rolling for at least the next five years easily.

Rick Hendrick’s visionary decision to select these young drivers in 2017/18 has paid off, as the results have been outstanding. One fan said, “Does this likely mean that Kyle and William’s contract will be extended until 2029?” Most likely so. From races to sponsors, the future looks bright for Hendrick Motorsports!

Another fan echoed the same thing, as they wrote, “So did Byron get an extension to 2029 as well from Hendrick?” While no official statements have come out yet, he will most likely get an extension from the team because his performance has been exceptional. In just 18 races, he has managed to clinch 3 wins to his name.

And another set of fans couldn’t stop talking about Kyle Larson and his sponsorship struggles. One user said, “How does Larson still have no sponsorship lol I thought people got over that.” Here, they were referencing the time when Kyle Larson struggled with holding on to his sponsor. After the controversy in 2020, he was shunned by major sponsors like McDonald’s and Credit One Bank.

Another fan echoed the same sentiment and said, “Larson’s sponsorship struggles continue.” That incident in 2020 led to widespread condemnation for Larson, and it seems like some companies still play it safe with him. Valvoline, too, seemed to have preferred more Byron and less Larson.

Well, everyone makes mistakes, and Kyle Larson has surely matured and learned from what went down in 2020. Today, we see him as one of the championship-winning contenders. After attempting the Double this season and having some of his best runs, one must leave the past in the past, as Larson’s continuous efforts to rebuild his image and relationships are visible.

William Byron’s contract runs till the end of 2025, and Larson’s till 2026. Considering this, Valvoline’s confirmation regarding the number of races they’ll be running their paint scheme on both the drivers’ cars – which most fans are excited for because of the iconic paint schemes – points to one thing: “The only thing this proves is that Larson and Byron are under contract until 2029.”

That said, do you think 2020 is still affecting Kyle Larson? Let us know in the comments.