Hendrick Motorsports Files Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit Against Chase Elliott’s NASCAR Sponsor

Hendrick Motorsports has initiated a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet sponsor Hooters. The lawsuit, filed as of July 30, centers around what Hendrick describes as a breach of the sponsorship agreement that has potentially extensive financial implications.

According to court documents, the restaurant chain, which began its relationship with Elliott and Hendrick in 2017, was obligated under the contract to provide sponsorship payments in four installments of $437,500 each, as per a report from Autoweek.

These payments were scheduled throughout the racing season – with the first due in March, followed by subsequent installments in June, August, and October.

Hooters, however, reportedly failed to follow through after an initial payment of $45,000 in March, leaving an alleged outstanding balance exceeding $1.7 million.

This lawsuit comes after a noticeable change in the relationship between the parties involved.

Hendrick Motorsports claims that by late June, Hooters was unable to fulfill its business obligations, which was conspicuously highlighted when the Hooters decal was absent from the associate sponsor position on Elliott’s car during the Nashville race.

Hooters’ troubles appear to reach beyond their NASCAR commitments, as evidenced by the company’s announcement in June about closing 44 “underperforming” locations nationwide.

Chase Elliott, amidst this controversy, had secured a notable victory at Texas earlier this year under the Hooters banner. This win marked a significant moment as it was the first victory for Hooters as a primary sponsor since 1992, celebrating a long-awaited triumph since Alan Kulwicki’s win at Pocono.

This news as come during the race weekend at Daytona International Speedway. The dramatic Coke Zero Sugar 400 saw Elliott wrapped up in a crash.

NASCAR Cup Series: Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway Results

1. Harrison Burton – 20 | Running
2. Kyle Busch – 11 | Running
3. Christopher Bell – 27 | Running
4. Cody Ware – 33 | Running
5. Ty Gibbs – 26 | Running
6. Bubba Wallace – 18 | Running
7. Parker Retzlaff – 29 | Running
8. Brad Keselowski – 12 | Running
9. Daniel Hemric – 28 | Running
10. Chris Buescher – 13 | Running
11. Carson Hocevar – 37 | Running
12. Ross Chastain – 24 | Running
13. Zane Smith – 30 | Running
14. Chase Briscoe – 6 | Running
15. John H. Nemechek – 31 | Running
16. Alex Bowman – 21 | Running
17. Erik Jones – 40 | Running
18. Austin Cindric – 8 | Running
19. BJ McLeod – 38 | Running
20. Joey Gase – 39 | Running
21. Kyle Larson – 9 | Running
22. Austin Dillon – 16 | Running
23. Todd Gilliland – 2 | Running
24. Martin Truex Jr – 17 | Running
25. Austin Hill – 23 | Accident
26. Josh Berry – 5 | Accident
27. William Byron – 7 | Accident
28. Tyler Reddick – 25 | Accident
29. Ryan Blaney – 14 | Accident
30. Michael McDowell – 1 | Accident
31. Joey Logano – 3 | Accident
32. Justin Haley – 36 | Accident
33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 35 | Accident
34. Corey LaJoie – 34 | Running
35. Shane Van Gisbergen – 32 | Engine
36. Chase Elliott – 10 | Accident
37. Noah Gragson – 15 | Accident
38. Denny Hamlin – 19 | Accident
39. Ryan Preece – 4 | DVP
40. Daniel Suárez – 22 | Fire