Caterpillar to take over for AT&T at RCR

With AT&T's NASCAR Sprint Cup sponsorship coming to an end, Richard Childress Racing has found a replacement sponsor for Jeff Burton.

FOXSports.com has learned that Caterpillar has agreed to become the primary sponsor of the No. 31 Chevrolet driven by Burton beginning next season. The deal, which is expected to be announced on Wednesday, is a multi-year agreement.

Burton has 20 career victories, including one this season at Bristol Motor Speedway. He is currently second in the Cup series standings.

Based on an agreement reached by AT&T and NASCAR last year, the telecommunications giant had to give up their sponsorship deal at the end of this season. The agreement came after a protracted legal battle between AT&T and Sprint after Sprint phased out the Cingular brand — one of two brands which were grandfathered in when Sprint (formerly Nextel) took over sponsor rights for the Cup Series.

Currently, Caterpillar sponsors Bill Davis Racing's No. 22 Toyota Camry driven by Dave Blaney. The manufacturer of industrial equipment has been involved in NASCAR since 1993, when it was an associate sponsor for Kyle Petty's No. 42 Pontiac. They joined Bill Davis Racing in 1999 and have sponsored the No. 22 Sprint Cup entry since.

CAT has five Sprint Cup wins to its record, including the 2002 Daytona 500 when Jeff's brother Ward drove them to Victory Lane.