Stewart-Haas Racing announced its long-anticipated sponsorship with Smithfield Foods, but one thing was noticeably missing.
The press release didn't address whether the deal is for one or more years, and how many years the driver of the No. 10, Aric Almirola, had signed for. Typically, teams announce a one-year or "multi-year" deal and in the release, it says that Almirola will join the team for 2018.
But, in a funny tweet, Tony Stewart explained why he doesn't want to release that information, as per Matt Weaver, an editor at AutoWeekUSA. There are, according to Stewart, too many rats in the garage who want to steal sponsors.
Tony Stewart says he can't disclose length of the agreement because "there are too many rats in the garage" who try to steal sponsors once they realize it's the last year of a deal.
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) November 8, 2017
Stewart-Haas Racing announced on its website that Almirola will drive the No. 10 Ford and that Smithfield Foods will be the main sponsor.
"I've known Tony Stewart since our time together at Joe Gibbs Racing" Almirola said in the press release. I know what he expects and he knows my commitment. I can't thank him and Smithfield enough for believing in me and providing this opportunity."
Smithfield has had a contentious last few months, feuding with Richard Petty Motorsports before returning as a sponsor next year, and moving its primary sponsorship to Stewart-Haas.
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"I've known Aric since 2004 and have always been impressed with him on the racetrack,"Tony Stewart, who co-owns Stewart-Haas Racing with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas, said in the release. "I've raced with him and seen him mature into a really good racecar driver. He can compete for wins here at Stewart-Haas Racing and help our other drivers compete for wins. He's an excellent fit for this team and for Smithfield."