MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 27, 2020) – JR Motorsports has added a key component to its future, announcing today an extension with Unilever, one of the world’s leading suppliers of food, refreshments, home and personal care products. The new deal includes primary paint schemes on JR Motorsports cars for seven NASCAR Xfinity Series events in 2021, one of which will be driven by team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. As well, the two-time NXS champion and 2021 NASCAR Hall-of-Famer will enter his 13th consecutive year as a Unilever spokesperson and brand ambassador.
“My partnership with Unilever has grown so much over the years, and I’m proud to say they’ve been a huge part of what we’ve built at JRM,” said Earnhardt Jr. “Unilever’s commitment to our team and the series has been unwavering, and we’re prepared to take that success even further.”
Unilever is JRM’s longest-tenured partner dating back to 2009, and Earnhardt Jr.’s company has carried Unilever brands on its cars for more than 100 races. Unilever also holds the distinction of being one of the longest-running active sponsors in the NXS.
As it has done since the beginning, Unilever will use its racing partnership to market multiple consumer brands across several JRM teams. Details on schedule, track locations and featured brands will be announced at a later date, including details on Earnhardt Jr.’s return to the driver’s seat for one race. Earnhardt Jr. has raced at least one NXS race with Unilever every year since 2009, most recently in the Hellmann’s No. 8 Chevrolet at Homestead-Miami Speedway this year. He has 24 career NXS victories, his last coming in 2016 at Richmond International Raceway in a Hellmann’s-branded car.
“We’re immensely appreciative of the relationship we’ve cultivated with Unilever,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JR Motorsports. “Together, we’ve had the opportunity to do great things on and off the track, most recently focusing efforts toward Unilever’s United for America initiative.”
United for America is an expansive, Unilever-led movement that aims to unite with retail partners and nonprofits to help communities recover, rebuild, and reimagine their futures, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. Unilever has collaborated with frontline relief organizations like Feeding America and Direct Relief to provide critical support to Americans where it’s needed most, at a time when it’s needed most. The program provides essential products and supplies for millions of Americans, and Unilever is a purpose-driven company engaged in promoting cleanliness and sustainable living to help Americans thrive now and in the future.
“Unilever is so proud to work with Dale and all the folks at JR Motorsports; a relationship founded on bringing together some of America’s most loved brands with one of America’s most popular sports and one of its most admired and respected personalities,” said Head of Channel & Customer Development for Unilever, George Hamilton. “But it is our collective charitable efforts that truly cements a relationship of shared values.”
Unilever offers products in multiple categories, including mayonnaise, dijonnaise, and white spoonable dressings products, ketchup, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and frozen confectionery dessert; personal care products, including men’s hair shampoo, men’s hair conditioner, men’s hair styling products, men’s body wash and men’s deodorant.