| | Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Valvoline no longer will be the primary sponsor of the Roush Racing Ford driven by Mark Martin on the Winston Cup circuit following the 2000 season.
In announcing the end of the 12-year deal with Martin and Roush, Steven A. Kirchner, Valvoline's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said he was confident the Lexington-based company will continue as a "major sponsor" in Winston Cup.
Martin, 40, is third in the driver standings entering Sunday's MBNA Platinum 400 in Dover, Del., with 1,695 points, 81 points behind leader Bobby Labonte and 27 behind Ward Burton.
One of the most popular drivers on the Winston Cup circuit, Martin has 32 career victories in 18 seasons, including this year's Goody's 500 on April 9 at Martinsville, Va.
"This certainly wasn't expected, although we have been in talks with Valvoline regarding sponsorship for months," said Stephanie Smith-Marquez, director of sponsor operations for Roush Racing. "Valvoline has been involved with us for a long time, and we had really hoped it would be able to renew its sponsorship at the
current level. That, unfortunately, is not the case.
Although Valvoline will no longer be a primary sponsor, "we still expect to be associated with them in some capacity in the future," she said.
Neither Martin nor Roush Racing owner Jack Roush, a Covington, Ky., native, could be reached for comment.
"We negotiated very diligently to continue our sponsorship of Mark Martin," Kirchner said. "However, the structure as presented to us by Roush racing to continue our relationship did not allow for Valvoline to meet its marketing objectives. | |
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 Jack Roush hopes to still have a relationship with Valvoline.
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