Bubba Wallace enters the upcoming season with new momentum and another reason to keep his foot firmly on the accelerator of his No. 23 Toyota Camry. Last year, he ended a 100-race winless streak by winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. The victory took him to the round of 16 and ultimately an 11th place finish in the final standings, the second-best finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career. With confidence restored, Wallace now has added motivation as he looks to build on this progress.
Hardee’s is set to make a return to the highest level of stock car racing in 2026, becoming the official quick-service restaurant of NASCAR in a multi-year deal. The brand will also serve as main sponsor for Wallace and the No. 23 Toyota at 23XI Racing, starting in March at Martinsville Speedway. This partnership places Hardee’s return to the Cup Series grid in a prominent role, aligning his reintegration with one of the sport’s most visible drivers.
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The timing of the partnership adds even more significance for Wallace and his team. McDonald’s, a global fast food powerhouse valued at approximately $220 billion, recently left the organization. The brand had deep roots in NASCAR and was among the original sponsors of23XI Race when the team launched in 2021. That book is now closed, with Hardee’s gold star in the spotlight as a new long-term presence.
This agreement also marks a significant change for NASCAR. This is the first time since 2008 that the sanctioning body has appointed an official QSR partner, following Checkers/Rally’s departure from the role. Although NASCAR has collaborated with other restaurant brands over the years through trackside offerings and promotional activations, none had until now assumed official category designation.
Hardee plans to leverage the partnership aggressively. According to the release, the brand will activate at marquee NASCAR events and connect with fans by celebrating the sport’s history while fueling its future. Although financial terms have not been publicly disclosed, an industry official said Hardee has engaged in discussions with several teams and proposed a annual commitment of a little over a million dollars.
But this isn’t the first time Hardee’s, with 3,800 stores, has dabbled in the sport. The Food Restaurant Chain’s history in NASCAR dates back to the 1980s, when its brand emerged alongside many of the sport’s most accomplished drivers.
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Those associated with the brand included Bobby AllisonCale Yarborough, Alan Kulwicki and Dale Jarrett. Most recently, the company signed Richard Petty as an endorser in 2022. Throughout the Cup Series, Hardee-backed entries have visited Victory Lane 12 times.
The brand first saw victory lane in the 1981 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, when Hardee’s project graced Bobby Allison’s No. 28 Ranier-Lundy Racing Buick. This car led 140 laps and won by 8.2 seconds.
Allison has competed in Hardee colors 19 times this season, winning three times and finishing outside the top 10 just three times during that span. Cale Yarborough also brought success to the brand, piloting Hardee-sponsored machines from 1983 to 1988 and collecting nine Cup Series victories.
The restaurant’s presence expanded beyond the Cup Series as the Hardee’s brand appeared in both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series from the 1980s to the 2000s. But one of the defining moments for the brand occurred in 2008, when Denny Hamlin drove a No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in Hardee’s/Coca-Cola livery on Victory Lane at the Daytona International Speedway.
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