Bubba Wallace enters the upcoming season with renewed momentum and one additional reason to keep his foot planted firmly on the throttle of his No. 23 Toyota Camry. Last year, he snapped a 100-race winless streak by winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. That win carried him into the Round of 12 and ultimately to a P11 finish in the final standings, the second-best season result of his NASCAR Cup Series career. With confidence restored, Wallace now gains added incentive as he looks to build on that progress.
Hardee’s is ready to make a comeback to the top tier of stock car racing in 2026, stepping in as NASCAR’s Official Quick Service Restaurant through a multiyear agreement. The brand will also serve as a primary sponsor for Wallace and the No. 23 Toyota at 23XI Racing, beginning in March at Martinsville Speedway. The partnership places Hardee’s back on the Cup Series grid in a prominent role, aligning its re-entry with one of the sport’s most visible drivers.
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The timing of the partnership adds more significance for Wallace and his team. McDonald’s, a global fast-food powerhouse valued at roughly $220 billion, recently left the organization. The brand had deep roots in NASCAR and stood among the original sponsors of23XI Racing when the team launched in 2021. That book has now closed, with Hardee’s golden star stepping into the spotlight as the new long-term presence.
The agreement marks a big shift for NASCAR as well. This is the first time since 2008 that the sanctioning body has designated an official QSR partner, following the departure of Checkers/Rally’s from that role. While NASCAR has collaborated with other restaurant brands over the years through trackside deals and promotional activations, none had assumed the official category designation until now.
Hardee’s plans to leverage the partnership aggressively. According to the release, the brand will activate at marquee NASCAR events and connect with fans by celebrating the sport’s history while fueling its future. Although financial terms were not publicly disclosed, an industry executive indicated that Hardee’s engaged in discussions with multiple teams and proposed an annual commitment of slightly more than $1 million.
But it’s not the first time Hardee’s, with 3,800 stores, has become part of the sport. The Food Restaurant chain’s history in NASCAR stretches back to the 1980s, when its branding appeared alongside several of the sport’s most accomplished drivers.
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The ones associated with the brand included Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Alan Kulwicki, and Dale Jarrett. More recently, the company signed Richard Petty as an endorser in 2022. Across the Cup Series, Hardee’s-backed entries have visited Victory Lane 12 times.
The brand saw the victory lane for the first time during the 1981 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, when the Hardee’s scheme adorned Bobby Allison’s No. 28 Ranier-Lundy Racing Buick. That car led 140 laps and won by 8.2 seconds.
Allison competed with Hardee’s colors 19 times that season, securing three wins and finishing outside the top 10 only three times during that span. Cale Yarborough also delivered success for the brand, driving Hardee’s-sponsored machines from 1983 through 1988 and collecting nine Cup Series wins.
The restaurant’s presence extended beyond the Cup Series as Hardee’s branding appeared in both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series from the 1980s through the 2000s. But one of the breakthrough moments for the brand came in 2008, when Denny Hamlin drove a No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in Hardee’s/Coca-Cola colors to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway.
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