CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hendrick Motorsports filed a lawsuit against Hooters, alleging the restaurant chain failed to meet its obligation in paying sponsorship on Chase Elliott's No. 9 car in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Court filings show that Hooters made just a partial first payment of $45,000 in March and refused to pay the rest of the contract, which Hendrick claims was supposed to be made in four payments. The team is suing for the remaining money left on the contract, which is over $1.7 million.
The lawsuit was filed on July 30, according to court records. According to the lawsuit, Hendrick's contract with Hooters called for four payments of $437,500 on March 10, June 10, Aug. 10 and Oct. 10.
Hooters was a sponsor for Elliott from 2017 until this summer. The company abruptly ended its partnership with Hendrick Motorsports in early July. The team issued a statement saying Hooters was "not able to meet its business obligations" to the organization and removed Hooters from its website.
Elliott's lone win of the 2024 season came with Hooters sponsorship when he won at Texas Motor Speedway. It was the company's first Cup Series win since the late Alan Kulwicki won at Pocono in 1992.