David Ragan, Joey Gase and John Hunter Nemechek join in the #TeamTurtle and #TeamFoot battle over the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 400 Weekend
NEW YORK – Sept. 14, 2016 – Nickelodeon today announced the final three drivers to its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) lineup in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ and NASCAR Camping World Series™ races at Chicagoland Speedway. David Ragan and Joey Gase will join Danica Patrick, Regan Smith, Michael McDowell and Landon Cassill for an epic Turtle battle in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 on Sunday, Sept. 18, while John Hunter Nemechek will pilot a special TMNT paint scheme during the American Ethanol 225 on Friday, Sept. 16 to kick off the weekend of racing. The track will feature a weekend of action, activities and fun for the entire family with Nickelodeon and the iconic Heroes in a Half Shell.
David Ragan will represent #TeamTurtle when he pilots the No. 23 Jewel-Osco/TMNT Leonardo Toyota Camry for BK Racing. Leonardo, “Leo”, is one of the four famous Turtles adopted, raised and trained by Master Splinter and is an excellent swordsman. He adorns the hood of Ragan’s car in his blue bandana while carrying his signature katana. Ragan, who has two wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is in his 10th full season in the series.
Joey Gase, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa native, will drive the No. 32 TMNT Rocksteady Ford for Go FAS Racing. A part of villain Shredder’s Foot Clan, Rocksteady is a mutant white Rhinoceros. The 23-year-old Gase joins #TeamFoot and becomes the final piece of the battle between good vs. evil in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400.
So is he #TeamTurtle or #TeamFoot? Nemechek will pilot the No. 8 #TeamTurtle/#TeamFoot Chevrolet at Chicagoland Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Earlier this season, Nemechek was victorious at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, and at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, securing the 19-year-old a spot in this year’s inaugural Truck Series Chase. The NEMCO Motorsports truck will feature #TeamTurtle on the driver side with the four Turtles and their sensei Master Splinter, and #TeamFoot on the passenger side with the Turtles’ archenemy Shredder and his Foot Clan.
Turtle mania will a also be present in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, Sept. 17 with Daniel Suárez in the No. 19 ARRIS/TMNT Michelangelo Toyota Camry and Darrell Wallace in the No. 6 Shredder Ford Mustang.
This Sept. 15-18 marks the sixth consecutive year that Chicagoland Speedway will kick off the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The Nickelodeon partnership will include sponsorship of the 2017 kick off race, as well.
During the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 race weekend, attendees will be able to enjoy fun family activities in the Nickelodeon Kids Zone, located in Champion’s Park. The area will feature appearances from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costumed characters, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles photo station and more.
Nickelodeon has a long-standing relationship with NASCAR, teaming up with the motorsports giant on several programming and racing events. On the track, the network has sponsored the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway in 2015; brought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2014; participated in the Bank of America 500 week in 2012; and the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC in 2004. NASCAR has also contributed talent and content to Nickelodeon programming such as the Kids’ Choice Awards (Danica Patrick, 2012 and 2013); Kids’ Choice Sports Awards (Danica Patrick, 2014, Ben Kennedy, 2015); Team Umizoomi (Jeff Gordon, 2012); two seasons of Hammer Down (2014 and 2015); and an episode of Bubble Guppies (Jimmie Johnson, 2015). Most recently, Nick and NASCAR announced a third season of Hammer Down on Nicktoons’ NickSports block, premiering Sept. 23, and a series of brand-new special episodes of Blaze and the Monster Machines featuring NASCAR drivers Chase Elliot, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Danica Patrick, airing on the Nick Jr. block Sept. 29 and Nov. 4.
Currently in its fourth season, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is seen in over 170 countries and territories and translated in 50+ languages. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles follows four mutant turtles—Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo—trained in the art of ninjutsu by their mutant rat sensei, Master Splinter, who teaches the turtles to battle evil from the New York City sewers. Executive produced by Ciro Nieli and Brandon Auman, the series is created at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.
About Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-mile, paved oval race track located in Joliet, Ill. The track has hosted racing events of the major U.S. racing series, and currently conducts races in all three NASCAR national series, including the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Along with Route 66 Raceway, a multimillion-dollar complex that includes a ¼ mile stadium-style drag strip and a ½ mile dirt oval track, Chicagoland Speedway is wholly-owned by International Speedway Corporation (ISC), a major promoter of motorsports activities. ISC owns and/or operates 13 of the nation’s major racing venues, including Daytona International Speedway. For more information on Chicagoland Speedway, visit ChicagolandSpeedway.com.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 37th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
