Celsius Holdings’ Rockstar Energy drink is getting back into NASCAR with 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick, as the classic energy drink brand’s return marks another sign of sponsorship interest in the sport. After first hinting at the deal on social media Wednesday, Rockstar later this morning will confirm that it is sponsoring 23XI’s No. 45 Toyota driven by Reddick in select NASCAR Cup Series races this year. Terms are unknown, but the first primary will come this month at Talladega. Assets include branding on the team’s materials and 18-wheel transporter in addition to the race car and using Reddick in marketing campaigns and digital media programming.
Rockstar hasn’t been in NASCAR in over a decade dating back to a deal in the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series that started in 2014 with Turner Motorsports and driver Dylan Kwasniewski. As part of a broader strategic deal with PepsiCo, Celsius Holdings last year acquired Rockstar for the U.S. and Canada regions — and it’s now undertaking a broader marketing revamp to boost the drink.
The company started talks with 23XI at Daytona, where just days later Reddick would win the Daytona 500 and begin a three-race winning streak that was unprecedented in NASCAR history. Reddick was previously partnered with Monster Energy, which remains a sponsor of 23XI with another one of its Cup Series cars, the No. 35 driven by Riley Herbst, whose family owns the Terrible’s gas station chain. Celsius Holdings’ namesake Celsius brand was already a sponsor of yet another 23XI driver, Corey Heim, while Coca-Cola is the beverage on the No. 23 driven by Bubba Wallace.
Rockstar Senior Director of Sports & Music Steve Mateus said the brand had been itching to get back into NASCAR in recent years but the proper opportunity didn’t come till now. No agencies were used in the negotiations, according to 23XI President Steve Lauletta.