National Guard, Hendrick Motorsports disagree on sponsorship end

The Army National Guard and Hendrick Motorsports disagree on when their sponsorship deal is ending. The Guard says the contract with Hendrick Motorsports is set to end at the end of this racing season.

The National Guard says its sponsorship of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and IndyCar's Graham Rahal is ending, the National Guard announced.

The Guard has been with Earnhardt, Jr. since 2008. It says the contract with Hendrick Motorsports is set to end at the end of this racing season.

Hendrick Motorsports says they have a contract with the Guard through 2015.  

"We have not been approached by the Guard about potential changes and plan to honor our current agreement," the team said.

The Guard said in a statement that it has spent $32 million on its NASCAR sponsorship and $12 million on its IndyCar sponsorship this year alone, and said that "sports sponsorships have played an important role in helping the Guard build strong brand awareness." 

"Significantly constrained resources and the likelihood of further reductions in the future call for more innovative and cost-effective ways of doing business,” said Maj. Gen. Judd H. Lyons, acting Director of the Army National Guard.

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- Scooby Axson