CONCORD, N.C. (Dec. 20, 2016) – Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced today that DC Solar will return as the season-long partner on the No. 48 Chevy Camaro driven by 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase contender and Rookie of the Year candidate Brennan Poole. Veteran XFINITY Series Crew Chief Chad Norris will remain with the DC Solar team.
After sharing driving duties with Kyle Larson and road-course specialist Justin Marks in 2015, Poole (25) competed full-time in the 2016 XFINITY Series, scoring four top-five and 17 top-10 finishes with a best finish of third at Talladega Superspeedway in May and Road America in August. He finished eighth in the final XFINITY Series drivers’ points and runner-up in the Rookie of the Year standings.
Notes of Interest:
- Growth in the Market: 2017 will mark the third season in NASCAR competition for DC Solar. The platform has enabled them to showcase their robust and unique product offering of clean energy mobile solar products to the masses. This past year their footprint expanded through significant partnerships with Charlotte Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway to service their lighting, electric car charging and power source needs during race and non-race weekends. DC Solar will also be the entitlement sponsor of the spring 2017 and 2018 XFINITY Series races in Phoenix.
- Powering Pit Lane: Earlier this year, DC Solar unveiled a first-of-its-kind solar-powered generator unit utilized by the No. 48 team. The generator was used throughout the 2016 season for cooling down the engine after practice and qualifying runs as well as heating the engine oil to optimum operating temperatures prior to competition. The team will continue to use this solar-powered generator in 2017 while looking for additional ways to integrate mobile solar power throughout the CGR organization.
- Year Three: Poole, who qualified for the first-ever Chase for the XFINITY Series in 2016, will begin his championship bid in the 2017 XFINITY Series opener on Saturday, Feb. 25 at the famed Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Poole has made 50 starts in two of the three NASCAR National Touring Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (one start) and NASCAR XFINITY Series (49 starts).
Quote Board:
- Jeff Carpoff, President & CEO, DC Solar: “We are proud to continue our partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing and Brennan Poole as we look toward an exciting 2017. As our team builds on the experience of the previous seasons, we are evolving into a force that I am confident will make an indelible mark on the year ahead. We are equally excited to bring more of our unique solar products to the NASCAR industry both on and off the track, in order to promote the kinds of sustainable practices that will help ensure the future of the sport.”
- Steve Lauletta, President, Chip Ganassi Racing: “We are very excited to welcome DC Solar and Brennan Poole back for the full XFINITY Series schedule in 2017. It’s great to see the enthusiasm they have for our organization and the sport of NASCAR. We have certainly had the good fortune to experience their product offerings in our organization and also have seen what they have been able to do at tracks nationwide. In addition, Brennan showed tremendous growth both on and off the race track and we are excited to watch him battle for the XFINITY Series championship again in 2017.”
- Brennan Poole, Driver No. 48 DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro: “What an incredible opportunity it is to come back in 2017 with DC Solar and Chip Ganassi Racing. We’ve built so much together during my first full season in the XFINITY Series and I know that my team and this organization can battle for a championship. I appreciate all that Chip (Ganassi) and DC Solar have done for my career to this point. It would mean so much to repay them with a championship next year.”
About DC Solar:
DC Solar is a clean energy company that specializes in mobile solar products. Their flagship product, The Solar Eclipse, is the most widely distributed mobile solar generator in the U.S., and it has revolutionized the solar industry by taking the technology off-grid. DC Solar serves a variety of industries, including emergency preparedness, disaster relief, construction, entertainment, sports and agriculture, to name just a few. DC Solar’s mission is to promote a healthier planet by offering unique portable solar products that make a difference in how people use and think about power. You can find and follow DC Solar at facebook.com/dcsolarsolutions and on Twitter at @DCSolar.
To learn more about DC Solar please visit www.dcsolardistribution.com
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, two cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, two factory Ford GT’s in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, two factory Ford GT’s in the FIA World Endurance Championship and two Supercars in Red Bull Global Rallycross. Overall his teams have 18 championships and more than 170 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, six Rolex 24 At Daytonas, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.
