Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) are expected to announce an extension of their partnership Jan. 15.
Smithfield and its brands will return as primary sponsors of the No. 43 Ford Fusion race team with Aric Almirola driving for the 2014 NASCAR season. The contract extends through the end of the 2016 season.
Larry Pope, CEO of Smithfield, RPM co-owners Richard Petty and Andrew Murstein, Almirola and NASCAR executives are holding a press conference Jan. 15 in New York to confirm the details of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series partnership and how Smithfield intends to use its sponsorship as a consumer marketing vehicle.
In 2013, Smithfield’s sponsorship covered 25 events. Smithfield Foods and its Eckrich, Farmland, Gwaltney and Smithfield brands were primary sponsors throughout the year.