Best Buy Bolts RPM for Roush, Kenseth

As had been rumored for a couple weeks, Best Buy made it official on Tuesday that its NASCAR sponsorship would move from the No. 43 of AJ Allmendinger at Richard Petty Motorsports to the Roush Fenway Racing Fords of Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards.

Best Buy’s colors will be on Kenseth’s car for nine races as the primary sponsor in 2012, and for two races on Edwards’ No. 99. The company will be a full-time associate sponsor on both cars for the entire season.

"Best Buy is thrilled to announce this new NASCAR sponsorship deal with Roush Fenway Racing," said Drew Panayiotou, senior vice president of marketing for Best Buy. "Roush Fenway Racing is a great fit for Best Buy Racing. NASCAR continues to be a relevant way for us to connect with our customers. Our goal is to reach our target audiences in a meaningful way, while maximizing the value of our marketing and sponsorship investments." Best Buy has been a NASCAR sponsor for the past 7 years.

The move was a good thing for Kenseth, who had blank quarterpanels following the departure of Crown Royal at the end of the 2011 season, but it was a bad thing for RPM and Allmendinger, who counted on Best Buy as the anchor primary.

"We have had a successful and rewarding relationship with Best Buy for the past few years and appreciate all they have done for us," stated Richard Petty, co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports. "Although it is very disappointing that Best Buy is changing directions at this late date, we wish all of our friends there the best in their future endeavors. Our plan has always been to run a two-car team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2012 and we are continuing down that path," said Petty. "We have several partners that remain committed to the #43 team. We will move forward and explore all of our options in regard to the #43 program in the coming weeks."