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Matt Kenseth's car is losing one of the largest sponsorship deals in NASCAR

By The Sports Xchange
Racer Matt Kenseth conducts a practice session at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2015 in preparation for the 2015 NASCAR SPRINT CUP Series Ford Ecoboost 400 race. Photo by Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI
1 of 3 | Racer Matt Kenseth conducts a practice session at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2015 in preparation for the 2015 NASCAR SPRINT CUP Series Ford Ecoboost 400 race. Photo by Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI | License Photo

Dollar General announced that it will end its primary sponsorship of Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Toyota driven by Matt Kenseth at the end of its current 30-race deal.

One of the largest sponsorship deals in NASCAR, Dollar General's deal is valued at more than $20 million annually, according to The Sports Business Daily. The company also has some track assets in NASCAR.

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"Our strategy to reallocate our future marketing assets into new programs is strictly a business decision to align our priorities to better serve our customers in this rapidly changing retail environment," the Tennessee-based company said in a statement.

Dollar General first became a primary sponsor of the No. 20 in 2011, then driven by Joey Logano. It signed on initially for 12 races, then increased to 17 in 2013, 27 in '14 and 30 last year. With 30-race deals becoming increasingly rare in the sport, the JGR team is expected to fill the void with one or more deals in the near future. Stanley Black & Decker and Dewalt are other current primary sponsors of the No. 20 car.

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JGR has three other Sprint Cup cars that are either entirely or almost sold out of inventory. SBD speculated that one of the sponsors for the other cars could potentially step up as a primary sponsor for Kenseth's car.

Dollar General's announcement is the first of several expected shakeups in sponsorships, with Mobil 1 and Bass Pro Shops for Stewart-Haas Racing's No. 14 car also up for renewal this year.

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