Reynolds American’s Grizzly expands NASCAR presence, to be primary sponsor for 27 Kaulig Racing Cup races in 2026

Jan.29

Grizzly Nicotine Pouches, a brand of American Snuff Company (ASC), a Reynolds American unit, said it will increase its NASCAR investment in the 2026 season, serving as primary sponsor for a combined 27 races across Kaulig Racing’s two full-time NASCAR Cup Series cars. The company added that Grizzly is already one of NASCAR’s official partner brands across all NASCAR tracks.

Quick Take

Bigger sponsorship footprint: Grizzly will serve as primary sponsor for a combined 27 races across Kaulig Racing’s two full-time cars in the 2026 season.
Car-by-car split: Ty Dillon’s No. 10 Chevrolet will carry the Grizzly livery for 14 races; AJ Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevrolet for 13 races.
First on-track rollout: The expanded partnership will debut on Feb. 1 at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Partnership extended and broadened: The relationship began at the 2025 Daytona 500, starting with nine primary-sponsorship races for Dillon, later expanding to 13 and adding Allmendinger and the No. 16 car late in the season.

2Firsts, Jan. 29, 2026

According to Sports Illustrated, Grizzly, a nicotine pouch brand of American Snuff Company, LLC (ASC), a unit of Reynolds American Inc., said it will significantly increase its sponsorship of NASCAR Cup Series team Kaulig Racing in the 2026 season, becoming the primary sponsor for a combined 27 races across the team’s two full-time entries.

Sports Illustrated reported that the Grizzly sponsorship will be split between two Kaulig Racing drivers. Ty Dillon’s No. 10 Chevrolet will feature the brand’s red-and-black scheme in 14 races, while AJ Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevrolet will run a green-and-black scheme in the remaining 13 races.

The expanded partnership will make its first appearance on Feb. 1 at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The report noted that Winston-Salem is also home to Reynolds American.

The report said Grizzly’s partnership with Kaulig Racing began at the 2025 Daytona 500, initially covering nine primary-sponsorship races for Dillon. That figure later increased to 13, and the sponsorship scope was broadened late in the season to include Allmendinger and the No. 16 car.

Brent Trader, ASC’s brand marketing head, said the company decided to expand its partnership with Kaulig Racing for the 2026 season.

Matt Kaulig, owner of Kaulig Racing, said the team’s NASCAR Cup Series program is in an expansion phase, and increased partner investment aligns with the team’s broader development.

As previously reported by 2Firsts, beyond team-level sponsorship, Grizzly has also expanded its presence at the series level, recently becoming one of NASCAR’s official partner brands across all NASCAR tracks, securing naming rights for track camping areas and on-site activation rights targeted at adult consumers.

Cover image source: Sports Illustrated

References:

[1] Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Expands Relationship with Kaulig Racing

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