Arby’s, the world’s largest sandwich drive-thru restaurant brand, has strengthened its commitment to motorsports by expanding its partnership with Rick Ware Racing (RWR) for the 2025 season. This collaboration will see Arby’s prominently featured in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Arby’s in the NASCAR Cup Series
As part of this multi-series agreement, Arby’s will serve as the primary sponsor of RWR’s No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, driven by Cody Ware, for 12 races in the NASCAR Cup Series. The partnership kicks off this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, marking the first of Arby’s scheduled races with RWR.
Rick Ware, owner of RWR, expressed his enthusiasm about the strengthened alliance:
“We’re extremely proud to expand our partnership with Arby’s for 2025 and beyond. This renewed commitment is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and progress we’ve made as an organization. From the shop to the track, every member of this team has been focused on improving our performance, strengthening our brand, and delivering value to our partners. To have Arby’s recognize that effort and invest in an even bigger way speaks volumes to the commitment we’ve made to motorsports and the partners who support us. We’re ready to build on this momentum and achieve even greater success.”
Arby’s Returns to NHRA with Clay Millican
In addition to its presence in NASCAR, Arby’s will also sponsor two NHRA events, including the prestigious 71st U.S. Nationals, set to take place from August 27 to September 1 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. RWR driver Clay Millican, who drove the Arby’s Top Fuel dragster to victory at last year’s U.S. Nationals, will look to defend his title in 2025.
Millican will debut Arby’s 2025 NHRA livery at the Thunder Valley Nationals, scheduled for June 6-8 at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee, his home state.
A Growing Partnership
Jeff Baker, Chief Marketing Officer of Arby’s, highlighted the brand’s enthusiasm for its expanded presence in motorsports:
“The U.S. Nationals is where our partnership with RWR began, and you couldn’t have scripted it any better. Clay Millican won, and Rick Ware was there, hands-on with his race team. It was eye-opening to see the teamwork, the attention to detail, and the dedication everyone at RWR put into their respective roles. It’s why we partnered with RWR again for the NASCAR Cup Series race last October at Talladega, where Cody Ware put the Arby’s car out front. Both races were on network television, and the excitement it generated among our franchisees was palpable. It was an easy decision to come back with RWR in a much greater capacity in 2025.”
Arby’s, which was founded in 1964 and operates more than 3,600 restaurants across eight global markets, is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. With a presence in every location where NASCAR and NHRA compete, Arby’s has the opportunity to engage both locally and nationally through this expanded partnership.
Accelerating Fan Engagement
Through this partnership, Arby’s aims to enhance fan engagement and create meaningful experiences for both customers and franchisees.
“RWR provides Arby’s with a high-profile platform to engage both our customers and franchisees in an exciting and meaningful way,” Baker added. “It’s a high-speed opportunity to fuel fan engagement and reward those who foster great customer experiences.”
The expanded partnership officially gets underway this weekend as NASCAR Cup Series qualifying begins at 11 a.m. EST on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The speeds set during qualifying will determine the starting field for Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400, which goes green at 3 p.m. EST, with live coverage on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
