Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 DuPont 20 Years Celebratory Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag as he crosses the finish line to win the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
The sale of DuPont’s automotive paint division will lead to a re-branding of Jeff Gordon’s 14-race sponsorship with his longtime sponsor, a Gordon spokesperson said Monday.
Questions about Gordon’s sponsorship arose last August when private equity firm the Carlyle Group announced it would acquire DuPont Performance Coatings for $4.9 billion. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2013.
On Friday, the spokesperson told As the World Turns (Left) via email, “DuPont Performance Coatings, LLC. will be the primary sponsor on the No. 24 Chevrolet SS for 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in 2013. CromaxPro, a DuPont Performance Coatings, LLC. product, will be featured as a major associate in all remaining races.”
On Monday, a clarification was offered via email: “DuPont Performance Coatings, LLC. is the business that DuPont is selling, but it will no longer be a part of DuPont once the sale is completed.”
When asked how that will affect the sponsorship, the spokesperson replied via email, “It will be re-branded.”
The No. 24 car paint scheme and schedule for those 14 races will be made available in the near future. Last year, the team celebrated 20 years of sponsorship with DuPont, which was Gordon’s primary sponsor for 18 years before AARP Drive to End Hunger took over a majority of the races in 2011.
