Ask.Com Becomes Official Search Engine of NASCAR and Sponsors Bobby Labonte

In a move that is clearly a shock to the entire NASCAR world, Bobby Labonte will nix his deal to drive for the newly merged team of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (EGR) and will instead head on over to Hall of Fame Racing which recently announced its alignment with Yates Racing. Labonte will drive the number 96 Ford Fusion and be sponsored by Ask.com which also announced that they will become the Official Search Engine of NASCAR in 2009 (a distinction I'm sure they paid big bucks for).

The move comes after much speculation that the 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion would drive for EGR at some capacity. While it was first believed that Labonte would race in the #41 Chevy with Target as his sponsor, recent sponsorship problems for EGR as a whole led to the rumor that Labonte would be moved to the #8 car instead. EGR's moves started to look more and more like musical chairs (or cars) as the weeks pressed on. Perhaps it was this indecision by EGR that led Labonte to make the move to a team that already has an established sponsor for the year.

And who can blame Labonte? NASCAR today is like any other business out there; struggling and offering little job security. As a driver Labonte not only wants to go somewhere and be competitive but also wants to go where he feels his job is safe. While Labonte has done well in the past, it has been several years since he last saw victory lane. In his career, he has amassed 21 wins, 113 top-fives and 197 top-tens in 546 starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Along with the announcement of Labonte to drive the #96, Hall of Fame Racing also announced that the search engine Ask.com is going to be the primary sponsor. Along with being Labonte's sponsor, Ask.com announced that they will be the Official Search Engine of NASCAR in 2009. This gives Ask.com category exclusive and promotional rights which will help them reach the estimated 75 million fan base of NASCAR.

For Hall of Fame Racing, thing are definitely looking up. The team is now aligned with Yates Racing and they have a driver of proven capability in Bobby Labonte and something that many NASCAR teams are have troubles finding; a full time sponsor in Ask.com. The team will surely be the envy of many in the garage area (just ask EGR) as the famed Daytona 500 rolls around in February and the #96 Ask.com Ford Fusion takes the track.

sources used: www.jayski.com and www.nascar.com