NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez loses Subway sponsorship after handing out Dunkin' Donuts on TV
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Daniel Suarez, of Mexico, talks with crew members after practice for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Brooklyn, Mich., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Subway has pulled its sponsorship of the #19 NASCAR driven by Daniel Suarez after the racer was featured in an NBC segment handing out Dunkin' Donuts around New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The sandwich chain was three races into a four-race commitment to the Joe Gibbs Racing Team when it announced that it was terminating the sponsorship “due to circumstances beyond our control,” according to ESPN.
Suarez, the only Mexican-born driver in the Sprint Cup series and the first foreign-born driver to win a national NASCAR championship in the Xfinity series in 2016, rode around the campgrounds of the track in a golf cart with NBC host Rutledge Wood interacting with fans in the video, which aired in July.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Joe Gibbs confirmed that the video was the reason behind Subway’s move.
“That’s my understanding. That’s what I’ve heard,” Gibbs told NESN. “It’s a surprise because we only heard about it (Saturday).”
Subway doesn't sell donuts, but it does have a breakfast menu, which makes the two competitors.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Suarez' team will now need to find his car a new primary sponsor for the Alabama 500 on October 15th.
A few of Suarez's NASCAR colleagues Tweeted their support for the 25-year-old driver.
Suarez is currently in 17th place in the NASCAR standings.