GameStop to Sponsor Matt Kenseth in Nascar’s Nationwide Series
February 12, 2013
GameStop, the world’s largest multichannel retailer of video games, announced today they will be a primary sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing in 10 Nationwide Series races.
Matt Kenseth, former Sprint Cup Series Champion and two-time Daytona 500 Champion, will be behind the wheel of the No. 18 GameStop Toyota this season.
Kenseth last raced in the Nationwide Series in 2011 when he won his only start of that year in the May race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. During his career, Kenseth has started 248 races in the Nationwide Series and recorded 26 wins with 118 top-five and 168 top-10 finishes. He has also claimed 16 pole awards in the series.
“We are so excited to have a driver with Matt’s track record driving for us this season,” said Bob Puzon, vice president of merchandising for GameStop. “Not only is Matt a proven wheelman, he will be a great brand ambassador for us. Matt is a big gamer, and from what I hear, he loves to challenge his son Ross in some friendly game play on a regular basis.”
Since beginning its sponsorship with JGR in 2008, GameStop’s approach to its NASCAR program has been a unique one in the Nationwide Series. No other sponsor completely changes the car design for each of its races. The GameStop Toyota has featured more than 60 different paint schemes promoting a variety of popular video games, gaming systems and gaming accessories. Titles such as NASCAR The Game, Call of Duty, Max Payne and LEGO Batman 2, as well as Turtle Beach headphones and the PS Vita have been featured with one-of-a-kind paint schemes.
“I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember,” Kenseth said. “So, I’m pretty excited to be driving the GameStop Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series. The JGR teams were the class of the field last season, and GameStop has always created some pretty cool paint schemes, so I’m looking forward to what’s in store for this year. I can’t wait to get back on track in the series and hopefully take our No. 18 Toyota to Victory Lane.”