What happened to Chase Elliott’s ex-sponsor Hooters? All you need to know

Hooters is a restaurant chain that has a casual dining experience with food, beer, and sports viewing in a beach-themed environment. The “Hooter Girls” has been a central part of their brand appeal since its inception in 1983. Hooters also has a long-standing connection with NASCAR since they started sponsoring drivers in the 1980s.

The success soon followed with their memorable partnership with Alan Kulwicki, when in 1992 they sponsored his Winston Cup Championship glory (narrowly beating Bill Elliot by 10 points). Hooters have gone on to sponsor other drivers like Loy Allen Jr., Rick Mast, and Brett Bodine. Hooters stopped sponsoring drivers in 2003 but made a return to NASCAR in 2016 when they sponsored Greg Biffle at the Darlington Raceway.

The connection between NASCAR and Hooters was reignited with the sponsorship of Chase Elliott in 2017. The partnership with the Hendrick Motorsports driver was for two races per season but expanded to three races. Chase Elliott achieved significant success with the win at Texas Motor Speedway in 2024 also breaking the “Hooters Curse”, a belief that NASCAR fans have about a car not winning a race with the restaurant chain’s sponsorship. Despite the success, in 2024, HMS announced that it was ending the deal because of its inability to meet the financial obligations of sponsorship. In a press release, HMS said:

“In recent months, Hooters has not been able to meet its business obligations to our organization.”

After the termination, the motorsports team also filed a lawsuit against Hooters for $1.7 million in unpaid sponsorship fees.

Hooters is reportedly preparing for bankruptcy as the company faces $300 million in debt even after closing about 40 operations in 2024.

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Chase Elliott loses major backing as longtime sponsor parted ways with HMS amid unmet business goals

Last year, Hendrick Motorsports ended its sponsorship deal with Hooters, Chase Elliott's long-time sponsor, due to Hooters' inability to meet its business obligations. Hooters had been a valued partner since 2017, but recent financial underperformance, evidenced by the closure of numerous restaurants, led to this unfortunate decision. Despite efforts to find a solution, Hendrick Motorsports had to terminate the relationship, although they expressed well wishes for Hooters.

"Hooters has been a valued partner of Hendrick Motorsports since 2017, contributing to our shared successes both on and off the track. In recent months, however, Hooters has not been able to meet its business obligations to our organization. Due to these unfortunate and unexpected circumstances, and despite extensive efforts on both sides to identify a workable solution, it became necessary for Hendrick Motorsports to end the relationship. It has been a privilege having Hooters as a part of our team and we wish them the best," a statement from HMS read.

The news of Hooters leaving Chase Elliott's No. 9 Chevy team emerged around the 2024 Nashville weekend. Hooters had been slated to appear in three races for the 2024 Cup Series season, including races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Richmond Raceway.