Monster Energy Rebrands NASCAR’s Sprint Cup

Energy drinks are the new tobacco. At least, that is, when it comes to motorsport sponsorship. Just look at this latest announcement from NASCAR.

Effective at the start of the new year, NASCAR’s premier series will be sponsored by Monster Energy. Though the official name has yet to be announced, you can expect it to be called the Monster Cup or Monster Energy Cup.

In its new capacity, the Monster Beverage Company takes the place of telecom giant Sprint (which took over the naming rights after acquiring Nextel) and the Winston tobacco brand.

This isn’t the first time that Monster is sponsoring motorsports. The brand sponsors such big names as Valentino Rossi in MotoGP, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in F1, Ken Block in rallycross, Vaugh Gittin Jr in drifting, and Kurt Busch in NASCAR.

It’s far from the only energy-drink brand in the game, either. Red Bull has emerged as one of the biggest sponsors in all of motorsport, running two Formula One teams, taking over the grand prix circuit in Austria, and sponsoring teams in everything from NASCAR in America to V8 Supercars in Australia. Rockstar also sponsors Tanner Foust, Scott Speed, and more motorcycle riders and rally drivers than we would care to count.

The bottom line is that the void left by the departure in a cloud of smoke of tobacco sponsorship from motor racing is quickly being filled by one can of caffeine-laced beverages after another.