Shell/Pennzoil announced its departure from Richard Childress Racing and driver Kevin Harvick since 2007, and their intention to sponsor a car at Penske Racing.
The imminent departure of Shell/Pennzoil from RCR leaves that organization, as well as Harvick, looking for a sponsor while Harvick’s contract expires at the end of this year.
According to sources, the leading candidate for the Pennzoil sponsorship is Busch, whose contract with Penske runs out at the end of this year but team owner Roger Penske has clarified he plans to pick up the option and just needed to negotiate terms with Busch.
Busch’s current sponsor since 2006, Miller Lite, could move to Brad Keselowski, whose car does not have sponsor logos but gets support from telecommunication company Verizon. However, Verizon's promotion on the hood of a Sprint Cup car is not allowed because of Sprint’s major Cup sponsorship.
Moreover, with Shell/Pennzoil as a sponsor in Penske Racing, Mobil will move away from team since Mobil and Shell are competitors and Penske's driver Sam Hornish Jr., a three-time Indy Racing League champion who has competed in Sprint Cup since 2008, might have to search for another sponsor as well. In the case that Mobil would keep sponsoring a Cup team, that could be a great exchange at Childress Racing and Kevin Harvick.
Richard Childress is still in talks with Kevin Harvick in hopes of keeping him with the team but denied any possibility to include Kasey Kahne for 2011 before Kahne's move to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.
