Crown Royal To End Sponsorship Of Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Team

Matt Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing will need to find a new sponsor for half the season next year.

Crown Royal said Tuesday afternoon it is pulling its sponsorship from Kenseth's No. 17 team, as well as ending its sponsor relationship with NASCAR.

The whiskey brand, which is sponsoring Kenseth for 18 races this season, will continue to sponsor the spring race at Richmond International Raceway, but will no longer sponsor a NASCAR team.

Below is the official statement from Crown Royal:

In evaluation of our NASCAR programming and after much consideration, we have made the decision to make a strategic shift to focus our resources against our annual Crown Royal "Your Name Here" program which awards race naming rights to an adult fan.

The Your Name Here program has provided NASCAR fans with an experience that is unrivaled in sports and in recent years has shed light on some of the remarkable military servicemen and servicewomen who proudly serve our country.

We look forward to elevating this program as well as continuing our presence in the sport through an experience that our fans have grown to love. The specific details regarding how we will honor these heroes at next year's entitlement will be announced at a later date.

In shifting our strategy, we will end our sponsorships with Roush Fenway Racing and NASCAR upon the conclusion of the 2011 season. We have developed strong relationships with the people at both organizations –they have not only been fantastic business partners, but have also become our friends. We thank them for working with us throughout the years to showcase the importance of our social responsibility initiatives.

We look forward to a strong finish to the 2011 season and like the many fans we've gained along the way, we'll never stop rooting for the No. 17 car on its way to Victory Lane.