Bass Pro Shops looks to stay with EGR

Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris says while he's good friends with a number of owners and drivers in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, he doesn't anticipate the company's sponsorship moving from Earnhardt Ganassi Racing anytime soon. "I saw [team co-owner] Chip [Ganassi last night at the NASCAR Hall of Fame," Morris said Friday. "We don't have any contract for next year or anything, but Chip and [co-owner] Teresa [Earnhardt] & I think they're happy. And we're happy." Morris was at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday to help unveil a special Bass Pro paint scheme to be run by EGR driver Jamie McMurray later this year, honoring NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt fielded a similar Bass Pro-themed paint scheme in the 1998 all-star race. Bass Pro, which is sponsoring McMurray's car in half of this year's Sprint Cup races, is headquartered in Springfield, Mo., and the fact that McMurray, winner of the 2010 Daytona 500, grew up in nearby Joplin "is huge back home," Morris said. "It's not been a surprise, but back around Springfield and the Joplin area, with Jamie's affiliation with Bass Pro, it's been pretty cool," Morris said. SceneDaily