NASCAR racer Chase Briscoe gets a full-time ride in 2019.
While it may not seem like it on the surface, NASCAR is very dog-friendly – some pets of drivers have become minor celebrities in their own right. And that dog-friendliness is part of what will have Chase Briscoe driving full-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series next season.
Briscoe’s main sponsor is dog chew company Nutri Chomps, owned by Rockville, Indiana-based Scott Pet, which will sponsor him for at least the first 13 races of the 2019 season.
“We pride ourselves on our understanding of dogs, their needs and what is best for their health and overall happiness,” the Nutri Chomps website states.
“The Nutri Chomps brand has grown in lockstep with Chase Briscoe’s career, and as Chase seizes this opportunity at Stewart-Haas Racing, we’re doing the same,” Mike Bassett, Scott Pet CEO, stated in a press release.
Nutri Chomps are marketed as a safer alternative to rawhide to better protect dental health, and come in chicken, milk or peanut butter flavors. They’re also high in protein and fiber and low in carbohydrates.
“Chase is an excellent ambassador for our brand and this is a very strong platform for Nutri Chomps to showcase its products to an extremely loyal fan base, many of whom are pet owners.”
Briscoe will be driving the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, which he drove to a win at the inaugural Charlotte road course race this fall.
He has 17 starts in the XFINITY Series, which is the equivalent of Triple-A baseball, and foru top-10s. He’s also run 24 Truck Series races, winning twice and racking up 11 top-fives and 15 top-10s.
SHR won three races in the 2018 season in the NXS, and scored six poles, while they dominated the top-level Cup Series, winning twelve of the 36 races.
Another key player in the dog-food market is Pedigree, which (along its fellow Mars Inc pet-centric cousins) sponsors star driver Kyle Busch in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and his Gander Outdoors Truck Series team Kyle Busch Motorsports.