State Water Heaters 16 Years in NASCAR

For much of the past two decades, State Water Heaters has been involved in NASCAR as a primary and associate sponsor for a few different drivers and teams. Along the way, the Ashland, Tennessee-based company has gone to Victory Lane with multiple drivers, participated in all three major NASCAR series and celebrated wins at the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series levels.

Below are five key time periods in State Water Heaters’ lengthy NASCAR run – as highlighted by the company’s longtime director of marketing, Jeff Storie.

BY JARED TURNER

2006 2006 STATE WATER HEATERS ENTERED THE SPORT AS A PRIMARY sponsor for driver Kevin Lepage in the Cup Series, serving in that role for five events. The company debuted as Lepage’s primary sponsor at Martinsville, striking an entry level deal that created a path for a long involvement in the sport. Lepage failed to qualify for the race, however, so it wasn’t until Talladega a few weeks later that a State Water Heaters-sponsored car took the green flag. “Based on the reaction from our customers, we said, ‘You know what? NASCAR hits home really well with those who matter to us. Not only with our State Water Heaters wholesalers and contractors, but there’s also a lot of consumers that watch in person and on TV, so gaining brand exposure from all of those folks is great. Kind of like the cake and icing together in terms of our wholesalers and contractors – and also consumers,’” Storie recalled. 20072007-2008 STATE WATER HEATERS MOVED ITS PRIMARY sponsorship to Morgan-McClure Motorsports, a historic Cup Series team, and began a relationship with driver Ward Burton that lasts until this day. When the season ended, the team disbanded so State Water Heaters took its funding to Haas CNC Racing where it enjoyed a solid 2008 as a primary sponsor for driver Scott Riggs. Although State Water Heaters moved on at season’s end, the Haas CNC and State pairing laid a foundation for partnering with the organization in the future after Cup Series champion Tony Stewart became a co-owner along with businessman Gene Haas and the organization rebranded itself as Stewart-Haas Racing.

We’ve been long-term sponsors—and fans—of Burton Racing, first with 2002 Daytona 500 champion Ward and now with his son, Jeb. That’s because we believe in loyalty. After all, we have some of the most loyal contractors in the industry, including companies who have been selling and installing State water heaters for two and three generations. And that’s proof that durability is not only an attribute of our products but also of our relationships. www.statewaterheaters.com

Jeb and Ward Burton

Follow Ward and Jeb at www.stateracing.com

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20092009-2011 AHEAD OF THE 2009 season, State Water Heaters shifted most of its sponsorship dollars to the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, which owns and manages more than 9,100 acres of land – including 700 acres of agricultural property – in Ward’s hometown of Halifax, Virginia. The company sponsored fishing tournaments and multiple events with Burton at the Richard Petty Driving Experience, where the 2002 Daytona 500 winner gave driving lessons at various NASCAR tracks to hundreds of State Water Heaters customers.

On the racing side, State Water Heaters did sponsor the Nashville-based Baker Curb Racing Xfinity Series team and driver Jason Keller in 2009 – and also began sponsoring Ward’s son, Jeb Burton, in late models – but the wildlife foundation was its core focus and remained so into 2010 and 2011.

When the Baker Curb relationship ended after 2009, the relationship with the Burtons continued – as it still does. “The thing about the Burtons is never once will they pull the (sponsorship) contract and say, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, we only agreed to X number of meet-and-greets, or customer fishing events,’” Storie said. “If you need the Burtons, they’re there. They are the ultimate partner for us on and off the track.” 20122012-2018 STATE WATER HEATERS REENTERED THE NASCAR sponsorship fold in 2012, becoming Jeb Burton’s first primary sponsor in the Camping World Truck Series. But before Jeb took over, Ward hopped in the State Water Heaters-sponsored truck at Daytona for what would be his final start in a major NASCAR series. Jeb moved to a new team in 2013 where he won his first NASCAR Truck Series race, however due to a conflict with an existing partner of that team State had to make other arrangements to stay in the sport. State Water Heaters moved its funding back to the Cup Series and Stewart-Haas Racing the next year, serving as a primary and associate sponsor of Ryan Newman – who delivered State Water Heaters’ first NASCAR win at the Brickyard 400. After Kurt Busch replaced Newman in 2014, State Water Heaters remained as an associate and primary sponsor of Busch for five seasons. “In our experience, Kurt was always a business-minded guy … he was great to work with and I was always very impressed with his professionalism and the effort level he put into our partnership both on and off the track” Storie said.

20192019-Present When Jeb Burton went part-time Xfinity Series racing for JR Motorsports in 2019, he and State Water Heaters reunited. Burton, who finished fifth at Texas in his first race in a JRM car sponsored by State Water Heaters, drove seven races for JRM in 2019 and 11 in 2020 – with State Water Heaters being the primary sponsor for most of those events. In 2021, Kaulig Racing tabbed Jeb for his first full-time Xfinity Series ride, and State Water Heaters tagged along as a primary sponsor. Burton earned his first Xfinity Series victory at Talladega in the spring, punching a ticket to the playoffs. This year, State Water Heaters is serving as a primary sponsor of Jeb Burton for multiple races – and as an associate sponsor for all the rest – as he campaigns the No. 27 Chevrolet in Xfinity for Our Motorsports. Meanwhile, State Water Heaters’ support of Ward Burton’s foundation remains ongoing. “The ability to pair Jeb – current driver – and Ward – legendary driver – and the racing and the outdoor stuff together is just a good fit for us and really connects with our trade customers,” Storie said. “Our intention is to be with them for a long, long time.”