Hooters has agreed to pay $900,000 to Hendrick Motorsports, founded by Rick Hendrick, after the NASCAR team sued the American restaurant chain last year for failing to pay sponsorship fees for Chase Elliott.
Hooters had previously featured as a primary sponsor for Elliott for eight years, but overall has had a 30-year involvement with the sport. They first appeared in the sport in 1991 and celebrated as Alan Kulwicki’s full-time sponsor in his 1992 Winston Cup championship victory. After a brief break, Hooters returned to the sport in 2016 sponsoring Greg Biffle before partnering with Elliott in 2017.
Hooters has agreed to pay $900K to Hendrick Motorsports, according to court records. HMS had originally sued Hooters for $1.705 million plus interest for what it had not paid for 2024 sponsorship for Chase Elliiott ($1.75M deal; team had announced three primaries plus associate).
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 21, 2025
After signing a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports in 2021 until the end of 2024, Hooters began to fail to pay the sponsorship fees for Elliott. As a result, Hendrick Motorsports cut ties with the company. The Rick Hendrick-led team stated at the time:
“Hooters has been a valued partner of Hendrick Motorsports since 2017, contributing to our shared successes both on and off the track. In recent months, however, Hooters has not been able to meet its business obligations to our organization,” Hendrick said in a statement last July.
“Due to these unfortunate and unexpected circumstances, and despite extensive efforts on both sides to identify a workable solution, it became necessary for Hendrick Motorsports to end the relationship. It has been a privilege having Hooters as a part of our team and we wish them the best.”
Hooters also stated at the time of the separation:
“Due to these unfortunate and unexpected circumstances, and despite extensive efforts on both sides to identify a workable solution, it became necessary for Hendrick Motorsports to end the relationship.
“Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores. Ensuring the well-being of our staff is our priority in these rare instances.
“With new Hooters restaurants opening domestically and internationally, new Hooters frozen products launching at grocery stores, and the Hooters footprint expanding into new markets with both company and franchise locations, this brand of 41 years remains highly resilient and relevant.
“We look forward to continuing to serve our guests at home, on the go and at our restaurants here in the U.S. and around the globe.”
Amazon Prime Video has taken over as primary sponsor for Chase Elliott’s car and is in contract to continue in this role until 2027.
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