The Robertson family: Hands-on sponsors of Texas Motor Speedway's Duck Commander 500

Uncle Si, Korie, Willie and Jep Robertson at the 2014 Duck Commander 500.
Credit: Debbie Ross/Skirts and Scuffs  

Every NASCAR fan knows how important good sponsorship is. Whether it's an associate sponsor on the rear quarter-panel of a car or the title sponsor of a series, money makes the wheels of NASCAR go 'round.

Some sponsors are more involved in their investment than others. Take the Robertson family, for instance.

When Duck Commander, Inc.  of West Monroe, Louisiana, (be sure to pronounce that MUN-row) signed a deal to sponsor the spring race at Texas Motor Speedway, the arrangement was touted as being a perfect marriage of event and marketing.

Track president Eddie Gossage Jr., who studied at the Bruton Smith School of Event Promotion, is well known for his attention-getting campaigns. The Robertson family, owners of Duck Commander and stars of A&E's popular series "Duck Dynasty," know a thing or two about merchandising and promotion themselves. Putting the two together seems almost like overkill, yet in Texas it works.

Not only are the Robertsons involved with the promotion and merchandising of the largest outdoor sporting event in the state, they're involved in the race production.

Last April family members were slated to perform various pre-race ceremonial tasks, and were disappointed the race was delayed by rain. They had to be back in West Monroe for the show and weren't able to actually start the race.

(Side note: Last year's extended rain delay and eventual postponement led to increased traffic on weather apps and sites this year. The forecast at the beginning of the week held anywhere from a 40 to 90 percent chance of rain. It's now down to zero to 20 percent)

Tonight in the second Duck Commander 500, the Robertsons again take on key roles in pre-race ceremonies, showing just how hands-on they are as title sponsors.

The line-up:
Willie Robertson, CEO of Duck Commander, welcomes the crowd.
Honorary Pace Car Driver: Al Robertson
Honorary Starter: Phil Robertson
Grand Marshal: Si Robertson
Invocation: Sadie Robertson
National Anthem: Reed Robertson

Be sure to tune in to FOX at 6:00 p.m. Central Time to see the festivities - and the first night race of the season.


LJ Cloud, aka Lisa or Janine, lives in Houston and considers Texas Motor Speedway her home track. A fifth-generation Texan, she began watching NASCAR in 1997, followed by almost every other form of motorsports from F1 to lawnmower racing.
She's been a part of the Skirts and Scuffs team since May 2011, beginning as a contributor, then became a media rep, photographer, and associate editor covering both NASCAR and the Verizon IndyCar Series.
LJ's other interests include photography, writing, reading, natural health, history, and genealogy. She works for Family Tree DNA, a company that performs DNA testing for genealogical research.