Beginning in 1992, Jeff Gordon started his NASCAR Cup career in the season finale in Atlanta. He drove a rainbow-painted Chevrolet with DuPont on the hood.
That sponsor would remain on the No. 24 car for 18 years and see three different paint schemes, not to mention 82 wins and four championships.
However, with sponsorship and funding becoming harder to find, DuPont began stepping their program back. In 2007 and 2008, Nicorette saw a lot of time on the No. 24 car. The last two years, the National Guard has sponsored Gordon's car. But, DuPont was still considered the primary sponsor of the car.
But, 2010 was the final year in DuPont's current contract, and they decided to scale back even more, meaning Rick Hendrick had to find a new primary sponsor for his lead driver.
Little did anyone realize that the sponsor he found was more about giving back than making profit.
On Wednesday, Hendrick and Gordon announced that the AARP Foundation had come to a three-year agreement to be the primary sponsor on Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet, specifically promoting the Foundation's "Drive to End Hunger" campaign.
The charity-based sponsorship is the first of it's kind in NASCAR, and fits both Gordon and Hendrick perfectly. The two each have devoted numerous amounts of time to causes. Gordon himself ran a car this year in Atlanta to promote his new Children's Foundation.
Although no money amounts were disclosed, the primary sponsorship is for 22 races, including the Daytona 500.
Jo Ann Jenkins, president of the AARP Foundation, says that the money raised from this sponsorship will far exceed the initial investment.
"I don't think we have any doubt in our mind that the initial investment the AARP has put into this, the money raised from this is going to far exceed that investment," Jenkins said. "This not only is about raising the money and using the initial investment from AARP, but how do we solve this in a country rich as ours so that no one in this country is going hungry."
For Gordon, the new sponsor comes as a welcoming challenge because of the unique approach to sponsorship.
"This is a truly unique opportunity to help people, and it's a completely new, cause-driven approach to sponsorship," said Gordon, 39, winner of 82 career Sprint Cup races. "Every single day, millions of older Americans are forced to make a choice between food, medicine and utilities.
"It's going to be a team effort, and it's not going to be easy, but we can solve this problem."
Hendrick said the No. 24 car has full sponsorship for 2011, but would not reveal what level DuPont and Pepsi would have in filling the final 16 races. Those include the two non-points events, the Bud Shootout and the Sprint All-Star Race.
Pepsi is the second-longest sponsor Gordon has known in his Sprint Cup Career. Pepsi-Cola signed on in 1997, and has been the primary sponsor for two Cup races for Gordon since 2001. This year, the company promoted their Pepsi Max product, which is a zero-calory cola.
Hendrick said an announcement on the remaining schedule, and the unveiling of the paint scheme for the No. 24 "Drive to End Hunger" Chevrolet will come at a later time.
More importantly, Hendrick feels that the challenge is now not to win races for their new sponsor. The challenge is far bigger.
"With Jeff's following and the respect that everyone in the sport has for him, and the way we can maybe move the needle, I take this as a personal challenge," Hendrick said.
"If we can do something ... to feed the hungry, then I think it will be more of a blessing and a feel-good and a positive at the end of the day than all those [championship] banners hanging in the back [of the race shop]."
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