Getty Interstate Batteries will return to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022.
Joe Gibbs Racing has locked up a key sponsor for the 2022 NASCAR season. Interstate Batteries will return for nine races as the primary sponsor, continuing a relationship that has lasted more than 30 years and featured nearly three dozen trips to Victory Lane.
JGR issued a press release on Friday, October 15, confirming that the partnership will continue. Interstate Batteries will sponsor Kyle Busch and the No. 18 Toyota Camry for six races in the Cup Series. The company will also join Ty Gibbs in the Xfinity Series for three races after first partnering with him at Darlington Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2021.
A lot has changed in 30 years, but certain things have remained constant: @interstatebatts + Joe Gibbs Racing!
We are excited to announce that @interstatebatts will continue its on-going partnership in a multi-year renewal agreement. #TeamInterstate
“Norm and Tommy (Miller) really took a chance on us because we literally had nothing when we first went to see them. No race shop. No driver. No crew chief. It was just a dream on a sheet of paper,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, in a press release. “To have a successful partnership for more than three decades it first has to work for business, and I love that part of it. You have to prove value for your partners.
“But it is the relationships built over time that makes this so special. From Norm and Tommy to the leadership now of Scott (Miller), as well as Lain (Hancock) running operations. Of course, on our end, it’s been J.D. (Gibbs), and now it’s Coy (Gibbs), and of course we have the grandkids coming. When you reflect on all that has happened over the years and everyone that has been involved, I really think God had a role in bringing us together.”
Interstate Batteries & JGR Have Won Championships Together
GettyKyle Busch celebrates a win at Auto Club Speedway in 2019.
Gibbs first approached Interstate Batteries in 1991 when he was preparing to make a move into NASCAR. Per Speedway Digest, he didn’t have a shop, team, or driver, but he convinced Interstate Batteries Chairman Norm Miller to come aboard as a sponsor.
This decision has paid dividends for the company. JGR drivers have reached Victory Lane 32 times with Interstate Batteries as the primary sponsor. Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500 in 1993 with Interstate colors, the first victory in organization history. The Hall of Famer won two races with the sponsor while Bobby Labonte added another 21, as well as the 2000 Cup Series championship.
Busch has also enjoyed a long and productive relationship with Interstate Batteries. He has won nine times with the company on the No. 18 Toyota. Busch also captured two separate Cup Series championships — one in 2015 and one in 2019.
“We could not be more excited to continue our 30 plus year relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing,” Miller added in the press release. “They have consistently been great partners in the battery business and ministry, so it just makes sense for us to all continue together. We are also hoping Kyle Busch and the No.18 Interstate Batteries/M&M’s team can win another NASCAR Cup Championship in a few weeks!”
Ty Gibbs Will Continue the Relationship With Interstate Batteries
GettyTy Gibbs (front) races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
While Busch continues to win with Interstate Batteries on the No. 18, there will be a time when he isn’t active in NASCAR. However, JGR already has another driver capable of winning that will potentially continue the longstanding relationship with Interstate.
Gibbs made his Xfinity Series debut during the 2021 season. He ran a part-time schedule in the No. 54 JGR Toyota Supra while also competing for the ARCA Menards Series championship. While he did not run a full schedule, the 19-year-old still contended for a win on a constant basis.
Gibbs made a statement in his first-ever Xfinity Series start. He won the race at the Daytona Road Course while holding off such names as AJ Allmendinger and Austin Cindric. He then added wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen while providing a look at the future of the Xfinity Series.
The young NASCAR driver did not win any races with Interstate Batteries on the No. 54 Toyota. He finished 18th at Darlington and 11th at Las Vegas. However, he will have three more opportunities to achieve this goal during the 2022 season.
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