What’s Happening?
For the first time since 2015, SpongeBob will grace the hood of a NASCAR Xfinity Series car this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The permeable cartoon icon will ride with 2011 Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne, who is making his return to the Xfinity Series for the first time since 2023, on his Sam Hunt Racing No. 24 this weekend. The sponsorship comes through partner OLIPOP, which is co-branding the car with the upcoming SpongeBob Movie.
The last time SpongeBob was on a NASCAR Xfinity Series entry was in 2015 with Bubba Wallace, then a developmental driver with Roush-Fennway Racing, at Kansas Speedway. Although the sponge has a longer history in the sport, it also sponsored David Ragan that same weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series and has also sponsored two other Xfinity Series cars during the 2004 season.
Perhaps the most notable SpongeBob paint schemes in NASCAR appeared in 2003 and 2004. First, the show sponsored Jimmie Johnson in the July 2003 Cup Series race at Daytona and Casey Mears in the 2004 UAW-GM Quality 500.
Likely, this is not the only time fans will see SpongeBob on a car this season, as fans at Legacy Motor Club’s Club Day saw John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 dressed in the same SpongeBob/OLIPOP colors.
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