MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 30, 2023) – Rick Ware Racing, in partnership with Standout Management Group (SMG) and NASCAR driver Gray Gaulding announced today the return of primary sponsor Panini America, the Official Trading Card partner of NASCAR. Gray will be debuting the No. 15 Panini America NFT Ford Mustang at World Wide Technology Raceway this weekend
Gaulding, 25, returns to the NASCAR Cup Series for his 60th NCS start and his 11th with Rick Ware Racing. Since 2014, Gaulding has 158 overall NASCAR starts throughout its top three series.
“Ever since we started working with Gray and his family, he has been more than just a brand ambassador for us, he’s been more like a member of the family,” said Jason Howarth, Panini America Senior Vice President of Marketing and Acquisitions. “Gray has been a huge part of our growth in the NASCAR trading card space, and we’re excited to team up with him and Rick Ware Racing one more time.”
“Personally, today is an exciting career day for me with this opportunity to return to the NASCAR Cup Series along with our sponsor Panini America, and with a team that wants to excel like Rick Ware Racing,” said Gray Gaulding. “Jason and Rick have both believed in my ability as a brand ambassador and driver, I do not plan to disappoint them. Since we ran the first Panini NCS car in 2020, I know the timing is right to reunite and I am really looking forward to this race.”
For RWR, this is not only a reunion with Gaulding as the driver, but with Panini America as the primary partner.
“It will be good to have Gray race with us again,” said Rick Ware, team owner. “He has driven for us previously and we’ve been making overall improvements to the team since then. It’s also great to have Panini America as his primary partner again, too. Like us, they have been growing their company in some major areas and we look forward to having a great race with them.”
About Panini America
The Panini Group, established 60 years ago in Modena, Italy, has subsidiaries throughout Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Panini is the world leader in officially licensed collectibles and is the most significant publisher of collectibles in the U.S., with official licenses for NFL, NFLPA, NBA, NBPA, FIFA, UFC, NASCAR, College, Disney and other key properties from many other licensors. Panini is also the exclusive trading card and sticker partner of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.
For more information visit us at www.paniniamerica.net, www.paninigroup.com or http://blog.paniniamerica.net/. You can also follow Panini America on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
About Rick Ware Racing
Rick Ware Racing is a professional motorsports company with teams in the NASCAR Cup, Indy Car, IMSA, NHRA and World Supercross Series. RWR fielded the 2022 World Supercross Championship team with rider Shane McElrath.
About SMG
Standout Management Group is a sports and entertainment talent management and activation agency headquartered at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. SMG is considered as an “outside the box” agency that works with brand partners and celebrities to help brands “stand out” from the rest. Additionally, SMG uses advanced technology solutions and data capture methods to maximize activation results. For more information, visit www.standoutmg.com.
