Josh Bilicki converts Sargento sign crash into sponsorship

Every sponsorship starts from somewhere, and Sargento‘s support of NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Josh Bilicki has rather unusual roots. The cheese producer is set to sponsor Bilicki’s #45 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International on 20 August, a partnership that spawned from an accident with memetic value.

Sargento is a close partner of Road America in Elkhart Lake, which includes placing its signage around the track and sponsoring the Xfinity race there in 2021. During the Xfinity event in early July, Bilicki was involved in a massive crash on lap 14 that collected thirteen drivers and his attempted avoidance of the carnage took him off the racing surface and into a Sargento signboard. The sign remained affixed to the front of Bilicki’s car as he rejoined the track before being removed without damage to the vehicle. Bilicki would finish thirteenth.

The moment caught Sargento’s attention and, certainly amused, they updated their Facebook page’s banner to a shot of it. Over a month later, the two parties have finally come together for a formal alliance.

“Sargento has been a long-time partner of Road America and we are proud to have this iconic landmark in our own backyard,” commented Sargento CEO Louie Gentine. “When we saw our sign on the front of Josh’s car, we had the same reaction as many others. We like to have fun, so we’re excited to partner with the Wisconsin native for this upcoming race.”

Credit: Alpha Prime Racing

Both Sargento and Bilicki are Wisconsin natives, with the former’s headquarters in Plymouth being approximately fifty miles away from Bilicki’s hometown Menomonee Falls.

“I am excited for this opportunity to partner with Sargento at Watkins Glen Raceway this August,” Bilicki added. “As a native Wisconsinite, I have enjoyed Sargento products for many years. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason, including my recent run in with the Sargento sign. I am thankful to be welcomed into the Sargento family and to represent a Wisconsin-based company in my upcoming race.”

The #45 will be Sargento’s second time sponsoring an Xfinity car. The inaugural Road America race in 2010 saw the #21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Tim George Jr. sport a black livery with the Sargento name, and he finished thirty-second after a crash.

Bilicki is currently running a part-time schedule in the Cup and Xfinity Series, the former of which has seen him enter sixteen races for Spire Motorsports with a best finish of sixteenth at Atlanta. He has made four Xfinity starts in 2022, all but one of which have come with Alpha Prime; the exception was the season opener at Daytona with DGM Racing, where he placed ninth for his first top ten in the series.