Smithfield Foods, the primary team sponsor for the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford with driver Aric Almirola, will not return to the organization in 2018 and instead join Stewart-Haas Racing, according to a post Tuesday morning on the company’s Facebook page.
“We are excited to announce today that Smithfield Foods will join Stewart-Haas Racing as a primary team sponsor beginning in 2018,” the post stated. “The decision to leave Richard Petty Motorsports and join Stewart-Haas Racing was difficult but we feel this move will improve our competitiveness on the track and strengthen our position as a leading consumer packaged goods company.
“Further details of our agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing will be provided at a later date.”
Smithfield has been affiliated with RPM in a sponsor role since 2012.
SHR officials confirmed the addition of Smithfield to its sponsor lineup for the four-team organization. According to a team release, details of the agreement, including the driver who will be added to SHR’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series lineup in 2018, will be provided at a later date.