Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis announced Wednesday night on Twitter that the company is ending its sponsorship of NASCAR’s Truck Series after the 2022 season.
The news confirmed the end of Camping World’s 14-year relationship with the Truck Series, which began in 2009.
Lemonis said the money that went towards the sponsorship, reportedly about $5 million a year, would now go towards raising the “income and benefits” of company employees.
Lemonis further explained his decision on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“It’s a tough call to make,” Lemonis said. “What really drove it for me was — it’s gonna sound odd to people — but I was watching the marketplace change and I was watching inflation take off and I was watching the cost of housing and car payments and everything for our 14,000 people just get more expensive every day. … My people matter to me more than more than a sticker on a car or a name on a television. It’s just at the end of the day, I’m watching people struggle.”
The Truck Series playoffs begins Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
💭 “I needed to put more in the paychecks of our people and you’ve got to make some tough calls…” #NASCAR
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) July 28, 2022
🗣 @CampingWorld CEO @MarcusLemonis explains his decision to end his 14 year sponsorship of the @NASCAR_Trucks Series. pic.twitter.com/51e4RH1M30