DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., July 13 (UPI) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr., will have a new sponsor next season when he changes racing teams.
The Nextel Cup driver announced this summer that he was joining Hendrick Motor Sports and leave DEI Enterprises, the company his father, Dale Sr., built. Dale Earnhardt Sr. died in a race at Daytona on Feb. 18, 2001.
"We have agreements in place with sponsors for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, which prevent us from having a relationship with Budweiser," Rick Hendrick said in a statement on NASCAR.com.
Hendrick said those long-term contracts make it impossible to add Budweiser to Earnhardt's Chevrolet when he drives for the team in 2008.
Anheuser-Busch, which been Earnhardt's primary sponsor since his debut on May 30, 1999, is expected to continue as a major sponsor in the sport and is looking for a new driver.
Various reports have said Kasey Kahne is high on Budweiser's list as a replacement.
