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Busch Beer has just launched a massive initiative that will support women drivers (21 and over) across multiple series. The longtime NASCAR partner will use critical funds to provide growth opportunities through the Busch Light Accelerate Her program.
Busch Beer announced the news on February 14 with a press release and a video. The company explained that the Busch Light Accelerate Her program will “provide access to more track time, more media exposure, and more training for up-and-coming talent.”
Additionally, each driver on the team will receive a direct sponsorship grant from Busch Light. The sponsor has also redirected 25% of the yearly NASCAR budget for marketing resources and brand support for the women drivers. According to Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal, Busch Beer will spend $10 million over the next three years as part of this initiative.
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The inaugural Busch Race Team features several names across multiple series. The list includes Jennifer Jo Cobb (Truck Series), Brittney Zamora (ARCA Menards Series), Toni Breidinger (ARCA Menards Series), Natalie Decker (Xfinity Series, Trans-Am Pro-Am Champion), Amber Balcaen (ARCA Menards Series), Stephanie Moyer (Arca Menards East Series), and Melissa Fifield (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour).
The Goal is to Promote Gender Equality
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GettyNatalie Decker will have support from Busch Beer in 2022.
There are seven drivers on the initial list released by Busch Beer, but it will increase in size in the coming years are more drivers hit the age of 21. Camping World Truck Series driver Hailie Deegan is one example considering that she will not turn 21 until July 18, 2022.
Deegan and Cobb are the only two female drivers with full-time rides in a national NASCAR series. They both compete in the Camping World Truck Series for David Gilliland Racing and Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, respectively. Breidinger and Balcaen are both set to run full-time during the 2022 ARCA Menards Series.
If the initiative works as planned, the number of full-time women drivers will increase in future seasons. They will have support from Busch Beer while trying to pursue wins and better opportunities on the race track.
There Have Been 0 Women Competing Full-Time in Cup Since 2017
As the announcement video from Busch Beer explained, there are zero women drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. The goal of the initiative is to change that number in future seasons.
Danica Patrick is the last woman driver to compete full-time in the Cup Series. She made her part-time debut with Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2012 before joining Stewart-Haas full-time from 2013-2017. Patrick won one pole award and posted seven top-10 finishes before walking away from the Cup Series. Though she returned for the 2018 Daytona 500.
There is another driver that has the goal of competing in the Cup Series for the championship-winning organization. Deegan revealed during the November 8 episode of “I AM ATHLETE NASCAR” that her dream scenario is to run for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series.
“I’ve never met Tony Stewart before,” Deegan said during the sitdown. “But then I got to meet him, kind of build a relationship with him. Talking about cars and setups with Tony Stewart is a big deal for me. That’s definitely like a bucket list thing to do.
“After meeting him and seeing his personality and what he’s all about, that would be a dream — to run for Stewart-Haas. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but there’s kind of two Ford teams right now. Obviously, whatever team I’d end up at would be a great team, but that would be a goal.”
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