Larson to Mentor Fans & Racing Enthusiasts as Part of AXE® White Label Collective
Concord, N.C. (April 8, 2015) – Kyle Larson looks to stay cool and confident at Texas Motor Speedway with Target partner AXE® as the primary sponsor on the No. 42 Chevrolet SS. The paint scheme will highlight the new AXE® White Label grooming line and the AXE® White Label Collective, a mentorship program designed to give people the coaching and opportunities needed to “take the leap” and turn aspiration into action. As part of the relationship with Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (TCGRFS), Larson will mentor several racing fans, both at Texas Motor Speedway and closer to the team’s home base in Concord, N.C.
Larson, who has confidently taken advantage of opportunities throughout his career, cites winning all three races at the 2011 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway as his big “leap moment.” In winning all three races in one night, each in a different class of car, Larson became only the second driver ever to do so. That feat helped elevate the talented young dirt-track driver to the national scene and aided in launching his NASCAR career. Through the AXE® White Label Collective, Larson will have the chance to help racing enthusiasts prepare to seize their own “leap moment.” All fans 18 and older are encouraged to enter for a chance to win.
This is not Larson’s first involvement outside of the race car with AXE®. As last season started, Larson was featured in a national commercial for the AXE® Peace line, which also served as the primary partner on Larson’s No. 42 Chevy during NASCAR’s first stop at Richmond International Raceway last year.
Notes of Interest:
• AXE® White Label Collective: As part of the AXE® White Label Collective, a mentorship program designed to give people the coaching and opportunities needed to turn aspiration into action, five racing enthusiasts will have the chance to be mentored by Kyle Larson and “take the leap” into the racing world. They will tour the NASCAR Hall of Fame, visit the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates race shop and get behind the wheel at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the Richard Petty Driving Experience. All fans are encouraged to submit their applications beginning April 10, 2015, by visiting the Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Facebook page to fill out the registration form and upload a video about why they’re the right person to spend the day with Kyle. To hear more from Kyle about the White Label Collective, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac-hSDE8ld0&feature=youtu.be.
• Larson on Track: Larson, the reigning NSCS rookie of the year, currently sits 23rd in the NSCS point standings through six races. Larson has two top-10 finishes to date, and has qualified in the top-10 on four occasions. Larson has three career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, which is where he made his third ever NSCS start. Last season Larson posted a fifth and seventh place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, where he has an average finish of 11.7 for his career.
Quote Board:
· Matthew McCarthy, Senior Director, AXE® & Men’s Grooming for Unilever: “AXE has always been about bringing confidence to life, and that’s certainly something you need when you’re behind the wheel of a race car. It also takes a lot of hard work and good guidance to prepare for big opportunities, like the one Kyle seized at Eldora Speedway. That’s why we’re excited to have him as part of the AXE White Label Collective to help young, racing enthusiasts prepare for their own ‘leap moments.’”
• Steve Lauletta, President, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams: “AXE and Unilever have been great partners and always involve our teams in unique ways. From bringing the AXE Apollo moon man to the track a couple years ago, to featuring Kyle in a national ad at the start of last season, to having Kyle involved with the White Label Collective mentorship program. The involvement with AXE has been and continues to be exciting and fun.”
• Kyle Larson, Driver No. 42 AXE White Label Chevrolet SS: “We have had a lot of great looking paint schemes on our No. 42 Chevy, but this AXE White Label car is definitely one of the coolest. The car is going to look really good under the lights at Texas. In addition to a cool car, I’m also pretty excited to be a mentor in the AXE White Label Collective. I’ve had a couple opportunities in my career that have helped me take the leap, and it’s neat to now have the opportunity to help aspiring drivers just starting out or fans that want to feel what it’s like to be behind the wheel of a stock car prepare for their own leap moment.”
About the White Label Collective Contest
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. AXE Racing Contest is sponsored by Conopco Inc., d/b/a Unilever. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 years of age & older. Begins 12:00 a.m. ET on 4/10/15 and ends 11:59 p.m. ET on 4/26/15. For official rules, visit www.facebook.com/ChipGanassiRacingTeams.
About AXE®
With a full line of grooming products including daily fragrance sprays, deodorants, anti-perspirants, shower gels, shampoos and styling products, AXE helps give guys the edge to feel their best. In addition to being the #1 men’s fragrance brand*, AXE is a lifestyle brand that engages guys and girls with unique experiences like no other brand can. Visit AXE on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, and Tumblr to get access to exclusive content, special promotions, and more.
*Based on volume of men’s grooming products sold (excluding shaving hardware): Total US Market for Men’s Grooming Products 52 weeks ending November 23, 2013
About Unilever United States, Inc.
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in more than 190 countries. Working to create a better future every day, we help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. In the United States, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Fruttare, Good Humor, Hellmann’s, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond’s, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Simple, St. Ives, Suave, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TIGI, TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.
Our ambition is to double the size of our business, while reducing our overall environmental footprint (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal) and increasing our positive social impact. We are committed to helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020, and decoupling our growth from our environmental impact. Supporting our three big goals, we have defined seven pillars, underpinned by targets encompassing social, environmental and economic areas. See more on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan at http://www.unileverusa.com/sustainable-living/ or http://www.unilever.ca/sustainable-living/. Unilever employs approximately 8,000 people in the United States – generating approximately $8.5 billion in sales in 2014. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com or www.unilever.ca.
About Chip Ganassi Racing
Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Prototype in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Overall his teams have 17 championships and over 160 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, six Rolex 24 At Daytonas and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.
For more information log onto www.chipganassiracing.com
