Sponsor 'doubles down' on Ryan Newman for 2013

Nate Ryan, USA TODAY Sports

Team owner Tony Stewart still has his own void to fill after Office Depot left his No. 14 team
Quicken Loans had a nine-race package for Newman this year
Newman missed the Chase but recently signed a one-year extension with SHR without a sponsor

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Stewart-Haas Racing shored up a chunk of its sponsorship void Tuesday, filling half of the 2013 Sprint Cup season on Ryan Newman's No. 39 Chevrolet.

Quicken Loans doubled its support from nine to 18 races with Newman, whose car is losing its U.S. Army's 12-race sponsorship next year.

Ryan Newman, left, has his sponsorship for 2013 coming into focus while team owner Tony Stewart, right, is still searching for his own deal.

"We weren't sure what to expect when we jumped into NASCAR, but we knew we loved the fan based and quickly found how passionate and loyal to the brands they are," said Jay Farner, the president and chief marketing officer for Quicken. "We learned a lot, and we just felt it was a great partnership, so we've decided to double down."

Tony Stewart, co-owner of SHR, said Quicken had doubled the return on its investment in Sprint Cup.

"That's what is different with us from other race teams," Stewart said. "It's not about a sponsor or partner writing a check, it's about us trying to meet their needs and accomplish the goals they have."

Quicken's expansion of its investment should bring some sponsor stablity to Newman, whose car featured a patchwork quilt of eight rotating primary sponsors in 2012 (with the Army as the largest backer). Newman is ranked 15th in points with an April victory at Martinsville Speedway but missed the Chase for the second time in four seasons with SHR.

"It's nice to have a direction of who your partners are going to be," said Newman, who recently signed a one-year extension through next season with the team. "It's a big first step in the direction for me of a long-term contract."

SHR still needs funding for Tony Stewart's No. 14 Chevrolet, which is losing Office Depot as a primary sponsor next year. The office supply retailer, which has been a co-primary backer of Stewart since 2009, was the primary sponsor of Stewart's car for 22 races this season (with Mobil 1 paying for the other 14).

Stewart said the team is "really close" on filling Newman's remaining inventory in 2013 and has a couple of good leads for getting his car set before the end of the year.

"It's definitely a huge step," Stewart said of the Quicken deal. "Hopefully, it will have a domino effect and get the rest of the inventory taken care of so we can get back to worrying about building fast cars."

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