My father-in-law is one of those people that loves Coke but despises Pepsi. If he goes to a restaurant and they only have Pepsi products, he'll drink water.

Apparently, NASCAR is the same way.

Coca-Cola announced today that it has extended its long-time sponsorship of NASCAR for another 10 years, and will now be the exclusive non-alcoholic beverage provider of the racing league through 2017. It was previously announced that the Pepsi 400 will be renamed the Coke 400 for this season.

The sponsorship follows a similar exclusive deal with International Speedway Corporation. Coke will have an exclusive presence at 12 race tracks in 2008, expanding to 17 tracks by 2012.

Coca-Cola has partnered with NASCAR on one level or another for 40 years, becoming an official sponsor in 1998. The company sponsors a horde of drivers, including Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Petty, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip. It also sponsors the Coca-Cola 600 race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the longest continuous sponsorship of any NASCAR race.

-- Tim Lemke