- AARON’, 5-HOUR ENERGY & TOYOTA RETURN AS PRIMARY SPONSORS
- CHARTER & KANSAS STRONG JOIN MWR SPONSOR FAMILY
- PEAK & AAA MID-ATLANTIC EXPAND ROLES AT MWR
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Michael Waltrip Racing announced an expanded sponsorship roster for 2014 today during the annual Charlotte Motor Speedway media tour. The announcement included:
- Aaron’s enters its first year as a full-season NASCAR Sprint Cup sponsor on the No. 55 Toyota driven by Brian Vickers. Aaron’s has been a part of the Michael Waltrip Racing sponsor lineup since 2000 and has grown from a six-race Nationwide Series sponsor of a part-time team to a multi-year full-season sponsor at the NASCAR Sprint Cup level.
“Aaron’s is one of the cornerstone partners at MWR,” said Waltrip, MWR’s founder and co-owner. “Without Aaron’s, there would be no MWR. There are few companies that love NASCAR and its fans more than Aaron’s.”
- 5-hour ENERGY enters its third consecutive year as primary sponsor of Clint Bowyer’s No. 15 Toyota. Bowyer will carry the 5-hour ENERGY logos for 24 races in 2014. He has won three races since joining MWR in 2012 and has earned consecutive berths in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup including a second-place finish in the 2012 standings.
“Michael Waltrip Racing and Clint Bowyer are great ambassadors for 5-hour ENERGY, and we’re happy to have them as a key part of our team,” said Scott Henderson, President, 5-hour ENERGY.
- PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil returns this year with four primary sponsorships. The familiar PEAK logos will adorn Bowyer’s No. 15 Toyota at the Auto Club Speedway on March 23, Talladega Superspeedway on May 4 and Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 14. Additionally, PEAK BlueDEF will sponsor MWR’s No. 66 Toyota that Waltrip will drive in a bid to win his third Daytona 500 on Feb. 23.
“Having PEAK BlueDEF support me in the Daytona 500 just showed us how committed they are as a partner,” said Waltrip. “I get to represent one of their fastest growing brands in BlueDEF and they will sponsor Clint in three of the biggest races in 2014.
PEAK also announced the second year of its “PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge,” a nationwide search to find a racer who has what it takes to be a professional driver.
“PEAK came on board last year and has increased its role with the organization,” said Bowyer. “They are a family owned business and you can feel that when you deal with them. I’m really proud of what they are doing to promote our team and to help aspiring drivers make their way to the top.”
- AAA Mid-Atlantic will serve as the primary sponsor on Bowyer’s No. 15 Toyota at the April 26 race at Richmond International Raceway and the Oct. 26race at Martinsville Speedway. AAA Mid-Atlantic continues as a major associate on all MWR Toyotas in 2014. AAA remains the Official Roadside Assistance, Travel and Insurance Agency Partner of MWR.
“We can’t wait for our AAA Mid-Atlantic club members to see Clint Bowyer sporting our colors and logos at Richmond and Martinsville this year,” said Matthew Haas, Director, Marketing & Advertising at AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Our members are NASCAR fans and we hope they’ll help us cheer on the No. 15 AAA car at the races. We believe Clint and MWR will increase our club’s profile and more fans will come on board.”
- Charter will serve as the primary sponsor on Bowyer’s No. 15 Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Charter, the fourth largest cable operator in America, will serve as an associate sponsor on all MWR Toyotas in 2014.
- Kansas Strong will team up with MWR and native Kansan Bowyer to promote its message about the role oil and gas plays in advancing Kansas and sustaining the nation’s energy supply. The logo will adorn Bowyer’s fire suit throughout the year and on the No. 15 Toyota at the two Kansas races.
- No. 66 Toyota: Michael Waltrip Racing announced a partnership with Jay Robinson Racing enabling the No. 66 Toyota Camry to race in all 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup events. Waltrip will drive the No. 66 in the Daytona 500 and again in the May Talladega race. Jeff Burton will race the No. 66 in six to eight races during the season, including his first race on March 9 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Robinson has named Joe Nemechek as the primary driver for the remainder of the races.
Team co-owner Rob Kauffman said today’s announcements are the product of hard work and a healthy race team as it begins the season with the goal of putting both Bowyer and Vickers in the 2014 Chase.
“We have done a lot of work this off-season to prepare for a successful 2014,” said Kauffman. “We kept a heavy emphasis on the product, which is a cohesive race team competing each week for wins. Our partners expect a lot out of us, but not as much as we expect out of ourselves and I believe we are solidly positioned entering this new season.”
