NASCAR secures sponsor for 2025 Talladega Cup race amid financial battle with Michael Jordan

NASCAR has revealed that Jack Link’s, a popular brand known for producing beef jerky and snacks, will sponsor the 2025 spring Cup race at Talladega. The race will now be called the Jack Link’s 500 and take place on April 27, 2025.

This announcement comes as GEICO is stepping down as a top sponsor and will no longer supporting the spring Talladega race. NASCAR recently made changes to its sales team and hired a brand consultant to help secure new sponsorship deals.

It is also facing legal issues after Michael Jordan's team 23XI and Front Row Motorsports filed an antitrust lawsuit against the association and CEO Jim France on October 2. The teams want a larger share of the revenue, a voice in decision-making, and a portion of profits from deals that use their names and images.

Jack Link’s, a snack company, will now be the main sponsor of the spring Talladega race. The company is based in Wisconsin and is known for its commercials featuring a Sasquatch. It has been a popular brand since 1985 and was part of NASCAR before as a co-sponsor for one of Team Penske’s cars.

Talladega Superspeedway President Brian Crichton also shared his excitement about the new deal.

"Joining up with Jack Link’s for our spring Cup Series race is the perfect match for Talladega Superspeedway and allows us to have some creative ideas throughout the partnership. I’m looking forward to hanging out with Sasquatch, and also the amazing team at Jack Link’s, as the possibilities are endless for what we can do with this prestigious brand,” said Crichton.

The previous title sponsor GEICO ended its long-time partnership with NASCAR this year. The insurance company has been part of the premier partner model since 2020 and has been involved with the racing series since 2009.

---

NASCAR Cup Series playoff race set for Talladega this weekend

The second race of the second round in the Cup Series playoffs is the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, and will take place this Sunday.

The 2.66-mile (4.28 km) tri-oval superspeedway in Alabama is one of the fastest tracks on the calendar. The race is also important for the 12 drivers still in the playoffs. William Byron is in the lead, followed by Ryan Blaney, and Christopher Bell. Blaney and Joey Logano have won at Talladega three times, while Brad Keselowski has the most wins at the track.

NASCAR also recently introduced three new rules for the superspeedway race to keep drivers safe. The changes include a longer rocker panel skirt, a taller roof rail, and fabric under the right-side roof flap. These updates have been made to the next-gen car to avoid them from flipping during crashes.

The total prize money for the race this year is $9,222,964, $416,649 more than last year. The qualifying order for the race, which is determined by a metric system, is as below.

The YellaWood 500 will take place on October 6 at 2 pm ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.