TMS lands O’Reilly Auto Parts as sponsor for spring Sprint Cup race

O’Reilly Auto Parts is stepping up its partnership with Texas Motor Speedway, agreeing to a multiyear deal to become the title sponsor for the track’s spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

The race will be branded the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 beginning in 2017, and the company will continue its sponsorship of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in the fall. The Xfinity Series race will be rebranded as the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

The track is expected to make an official announcement Monday morning.

How does the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 sound to TMS president Eddie Gossage?

“Sounds beautiful,” he said. “We’ve had a relationship going back to 1999 where they sponsored a truck race here and moved into Xfinity and now they’re moving on up to the big one.

“We’ve got a good relationship with these folks, almost 20 years working together, and they really see the benefits of it. And, the best part is, they’re hanging their hat on this event.”

Gossage could not reveal the length or dollar figure attached to the deal. It is a safe bet, however, that the pact is longer than the three-year deal the previous sponsor, Duck Commander, signed.

O’Reilly Auto Parts is the fourth title sponsor for the spring race since 2005, the first year in which the track hosted two Cup races. Samsung sponsored the spring race from 2005-2012, the National Rifle Association in 2013 and Duck Commander from 2014-16.

Gossage is hopeful this partnership lasts forever.

“You always go into a deal hoping that’s the last deal you’ll ever do,” Gossage said. “And the company just keeps renewing it. The O’Reilly Auto Parts group has been great to work with for 20 years and we hope now we’ll have 20 or more.

“You know, nobody gets married expecting to get divorced.”

Gossage said the track had multiple companies interested in sponsoring the race, and O’Reilly Auto Parts fit the best.

TMS is intrigued by the idea that the company is going “all-in” with this sponsorship, and intends to carry it through on a year-round basis. It’s a national brand with stores across the country, and TMS feels it will build its brand as well.

Gossage believes it’ll be a win-win for all involved.

“The thing about O’Reilly Auto Parts is that they’re going to do a 12-month promotion in all 4,600 stores about this race,” Gossage said. “The traffic through their doors … I had no idea how many people are in their stores each day.

“The other sponsors who had presented themselves didn’t include consumer promotions and a 12-month-a-year presence like O’Reilly Auto Parts did. Given our long relationship and what they plan to do for it, it’s perfect. Like I said, they’re hanging their hat on this event.”

Gossage said he never worried about finding another title sponsor once the three-year partnership with Duck Commander expired. Both sides understood it would last only three years, and Gossage knew what TMS’ corporate appeal is, even in a market where sponsorships have been more difficult to find.

“We’ve never really had a problem with finding a sponsor because we’re one of the big guys,” Gossage said. “We represent the most successful major-market track NASCAR has ever raced in. Some tracks have had to reduce what it costs to sponsor races, but we don’t do that because we don’t have to.

“We’re big. We’re successful. We draw crowds that are always among the biggest, if not the biggest, of the season. So we’ve never had a shortage of sponsorships. Kind of like Hendrick Motorsports [with drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson], you have people wanting to get on those cars.”

O’Reilly Auto Parts is proud of the partnership, too, and is ready to move up to the top tier of racing.

“Expanding our partnership with Texas Motor Speedway helps us deepen our connection with loyal NASCAR fans and build the O’Reilly brand on a national stage,” O’Reilly Auto Parts vice president of marketing Doug Ruble said in a statement. “The O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 sponsorship gives us new ways to promote our stores, engage our customers and reinforce our commitment to motorsports.”

This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "TMS lands O’Reilly Auto Parts as sponsor for spring Sprint Cup race."