Hardee’s returns to NASCAR with Bubba Wallace
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Hardee’s is returning to NASCAR to sponsor Bubba Wallace and become the official quick-service restaurant brand of the sport.
The multiyear agreement will see Hardee’s join 23XI Racing as a primary partner with Wallace and the No. 23 team. Throughout the season, Wallace will drive the No. 23 Hardee’s car at several races, starting March 29 at Martinsville. Hardee’s branding will also be on his team’s uniforms and equipment and Wallace’s firesuit.
“NASCAR is built on legacy and Hardee’s has been part of some of the most iconic moments in our sport’s history,” Wallace said. “To bring that history forward with 23XI is really special and we’re looking forward to representing a brand that means so much to NASCAR’s story. Fans know the Hardee’s paint schemes of the past and I’m excited to help create some new memories for longtime and newer fans.”
Hardee’s is the first Official Quick Service Restaurant of NASCAR since 2008, according to a report from Sports Business Journal. Checkers/Rally’s held that title until leaving the sport after 2008.
23XI Racing confirmed McDonald’s is no longer a partner with the team. While a team couldn’t state why they left, the team stated, “we had a great five years with McDonald’s as team partner.”
Wallace had sponsorship from McDonald’s from 2021 to 2025. In year one, at Talladega in October, he earned the brand’s first NASCAR Cup Series win since Talladega in July 1994.
The win was such a big deal to McDonald’s that they changed their Twitter/X handle to “bubba wallace stan account.”
Like McDonald’s, Hardee’s has a storied history in NASCAR.
Cale Yarborough won nine races in the No. 28 Hardee’s car, including back-to-back Daytona 500 wins in 1983 and 1984. In fact, he took a show car from a Hardee’s restaurant to victory lane in 1983 after flipping his primary car in practice.
Bobby Allison also won three races with the No. 28 Hardee’s car in 1981. Alan Kulwicki and Dale Jarrett also raced for the brand – in 1985 and from 1988-1989, respectively.
Hardee’s plans to activate across key NASCAR events, engage fans through unique experiences via its loyalty program and collaborate with 23XI Racing and Wallace across various digital, social and community-driven campaigns.
Wallace is coming off of one of his best Cup seasons yet. In 2025, he won the Brickyard 400, made the Chase and finished 11th in points, falling just 16 points short of his second career top-10 points finish. He also racked up a total of six top-five finishes and 14 top-10 finishes – matching the career-high, season-long totals he earned in 2024.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com