The Renewal
Hardee's is doubling down on motorsports marketing, announcing a multi-year extension of its primary-partner deal with 23XI Racing and driver Bubba Wallace's No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE. The renewal keeps Hardee's branding on the car at select Cup Series races and on team uniforms, equipment, and Wallace's firesuit for the full season — a footprint that gives the 1,600-unit QSR chain consistent NASCAR exposure well beyond the windshield decal.
The partnership sits inside a broader official NASCAR sponsorship that CKE Restaurants Holdings disclosed earlier this year, meaning Hardee's now holds rights at both the sanctioning-body and individual-team level — a two-tier activation structure that gives the brand access to league-wide assets as well as Wallace's personal fan base.
Loyalty Numbers Behind the Decision
The renewal appears performance-driven. In year one, Hardee's said Wallace-themed digital offers for My Rewards members ranked among the most successful the loyalty program has produced. The chain also activated a co-branded LTO — the Bubba Wallace Full Throttle Meal, built around its Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders — paired with an exclusive No. 23 collectible die-cast car, a premium that turned a limited-time food offer into a collectible-merchandise moment.
For QSR operators, the data point matters: loyalty-program redemption rates on sports-licensed LTOs can spike sharply when the athlete partner has an engaged, niche following. NASCAR skews toward high-frequency, value-conscious consumers in the Southeast and Midwest — geography that maps closely to Hardee's core footprint across 31 states. Alisa Gmelich, President of Hardee's, framed the continuation as building on "momentum," citing the partnership's ability to generate "meaningful experiences" for fans rather than passive impression volume.
Activation and Outlook
To mark the renewal — timed to Wallace's birthday on Oct. 8 and a Charlotte Motor Speedway race weekend where Hardee's branding appears on the No. 23 car — the chain launched a My Rewards offer running through Nov. 10, 2026: a complimentary collectible die-cast car with any qualifying purchase of $15 or more at participating locations, redeemable via app or in-restaurant scan.
The promotion is app-only, which extends the loyalty-acquisition utility of the sponsorship beyond the racetrack. For a brand competing against Wendy's, Burger King, and Jack in the Box for the same QSR burger consumer, tying a top-performing loyalty mechanic to a high-affinity sports property is a measurable traffic strategy, not just a brand-awareness spend. CKE operates or franchises more than 3,800 units across the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's systems in 44 states and more than 35 countries — scale that gives sports-marketing investments the distribution runway needed to move loyalty enrollment numbers.
The 23XI Racing organization, co-founded by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, has grown to a four-car operation since its 2021 debut, adding credibility as a premium NASCAR sponsorship destination. For Hardee's, locking in a multi-year primary role before the team's visibility rises further represents straightforward category management in QSR sports sponsorship, a competitive segment that has seen increased investment from fast-food chains seeking off-premise and loyalty-program growth levers.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
