Chase Elliott unveils conversation with Sponsors as they intend to withdraw...

The list of long-time sponsors in NASCAR has grown short in the last decade. Many brands once familiar to fans, like home improvement warehouses Home Depot and Lowes, big box stores like TargetTGT +0.5% and others like Kodak and Mars have fallen by the wayside.

For those looking for a bit of old school NASCAR sponsorship, however, need to look no further than the sports most popular driver Chase Elliott who drives for Hendrick Motorsports. Since 2017 Elliott has carried one NASCAR’s most iconic, and old school, sponsors, Hooters restaurant chain.

The company, founded in 1983 with headquarters in Atlanta, came into the sport in 1991 when an unsponsored driver caught the attention of Hooters of America president Bob Brooks during a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Brooks signed to sponsor the relatively unknown driver for the following season. That unknown was owner/driver Alan Kulwicki, and the sponsorship laid the foundation for one of the most memorable races in the history of the sport.

The 1992 November race at Atlanta marked the end of the Winston Cup season. The race was the last one for the legendary Richard Petty, and the first for an up-and-coming young driver named Jeff Gordon. Kulwicki came into the race leading the season ending championship points, trailed by Bill Elliott.

Elliott would win the race, but Kulwicki would finish second and receive five bonus points for leading the most laps, one more lap than Elliott. The Wisconsin driver, an underdog, would win the 1992 Cup championship giving Hooters not only a NASCAR champion, but in a race they sponsored, the Hooters 500.

Hooters remained in the sport sponsoring several other drivers before leaving NASCAR in 2003. Roush driver Greg Biffle would run a throwback Hooters paint scheme at Darlington in 2016, and the following year the chain announced their return as the sponsor for Chase Elliott.

“Hooters has had a long history with NASCAR,” Hooters CMO Bruce Skala said.” With our success with Alan Kulwicki to sponsoring races like the Hooters 500 at Atlanta it’s been an important part of the fabric of our brand and the marketing to the NASCAR fans has remained consistent.”