MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Team Penske and Menards announced today that the industry-leading home improvement store company will sponsor driver Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Ford Fusion for 14 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) races in 2018. The partnership follows the recent announcement that Blaney will race a third Team Penske entry in the Cup Series beginning next season. Menards will also be a sponsor on the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing entry, which will be driven by Paul Menard, starting next season.

“Having a company like Menards, and a businessman like John Menard, be a part of the growth with the No. 12 team is terrific for our organization,” said Roger Penske. “Menards has a winning tradition in motorsports and Team Penske looks forward to adding to that legacy. We have enjoyed a productive relationship with Menards through our INDYCAR program, and they were a key part of our championship effort last season. We are excited about the opportunity to grow with them in NASCAR beginning next season.”

The partnership between Team Penske and Menards began in 2016, with the company serving as a primary sponsor on the No. 22 Indy car for five races with driver Simon Pagenaud. The company expanded its relationship in 2017, sponsoring the reigning Verizon IndyCar Series Champion for 10 races. Next season will mark the company’s first foray into NASCAR with Team Penske.

Menards plans to continue its sponsorship of Penske’s INDYCAR program into 2018 and beyond as well.

“Working with an organization like Team Penske means you are always going to be in contention for race wins and championships,” said John Menard. “And winning races and championships puts your brand in front of a lot of people. We’ve had a great run in motorsports over the years and with that has come a lot of success. Now, we are excited to keep that going with both NASCAR and INDYCAR programs with Team Penske.”

A family-owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and has 306 home improvement stores located in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Today, Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader; it's famous slogan Save BIG Money!® is widely known and easy to remember.

Additional sponsorship for the No. 12 Ford Fusion and Blaney will be announced at a later date.