Top 10 NASCAR Sponsor Fails
10 NASCAR Sponsor Fails
Reed Sorenson practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway
10. Trump University – 2010 Nationwide Series
The sponsor already faced lawsuits and public ridicule before ever hitting the track. Putting it on a race car only made the controversy louder.
9. ExtenZe – Multiple Teams (2010)
A male-enhancement brand plastered across cars and uniforms turned every race weekend into a meme factory. It got attention, but almost none of it was the kind a sponsor wants.
8. Angry Birds – 2012 NASCAR Tie-In
The game’s popularity crashed just as NASCAR launched the partnership. The promotion faded almost immediately, leaving teams with a sponsor no one cared about anymore.
7. Golden Palace Casino – One-Off Backmarker Deals
Known for sponsoring anything that moved, they slapped their name on small teams with zero return. Most fans forgot the deals even happened.
6. Detroit Genuine Parts – BK Racing (2014)
The sponsor’s legitimacy was questioned almost immediately due to BK Racing’s financial problems. The whole partnership felt shaky and unprofessional from the start.
5. Swamp Thing Monster Truck Movie – 2002
A random movie tie-in that confused more fans than it entertained. The film bombed, and so did the sponsorship.
4. Trump 2020 & Political PAC Cars (2020)
The politically charged sponsorships instantly divided the fanbase. Instead of promoting racing, they created a media storm NASCAR really didn’t need.
3. Corey LaJoie – “Face Car” (2020)
The giant smiling face wrap went viral for all the wrong reasons. It was memorable, but it didn’t exactly scream “serious brand partnership.”
2. Kentucky Fried Chicken – 2006 “Colonel Car”
KFC’s promotion violated NASCAR paint scheme rules and was banned almost immediately. The entire campaign collapsed before it ever had a chance to work.
1. Fyre Festival – 2019 Xfinity Attempt
The infamous disaster festival actually tried sponsoring a NASCAR car right after the scandal. NASCAR rejected it instantly, cementing it as the biggest sponsor fail ever — without even touching the track.
