Multi-Year Association with the No. 31 team and Ryan Newman
WELCOME, N.C. (January 29, 2015) – Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Grainger announced today a multi-year partnership that brings a leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products to NASCAR.
Grainger will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 31 Chevrolet driven by Ryan Newman for select NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races beginning with the June 7 event at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Grainger also will be featured as an associate sponsor on the No. 31 for all Cup Series events in which it is not the primary sponsor. Newman earned a second-place finish in the 2014 championship standings, which came down to the final lap of the season.
This sponsorship is consistent with Grainger’s national marketing approach to make meaningful connections with its customers. In recent years, Grainger has sponsored a summer concert tour and launched a new national advertising campaign. The increasing popularity of NASCAR among its customers and the chance to partner with RCR made this sponsorship appealing to Grainger.
“Both Grainger and RCR share a similar commitment to customers, team members and community, which makes this the ideal partnership,” said Deb Oler, Vice President and General Manager with Grainger. “Our customers are hard-working men and women who represent the backbone of the U.S. economy. They are passionate about NASCAR, and we are passionate about them, so we are thrilled to sponsor and cheer on Ryan and the No. 31. This is a wonderful opportunity for Grainger to celebrate our customers in a personal, unique and exciting way.”
Grainger initially launched its on-track association with RCR in late 2014 at Texas Motor Speedway as an associate sponsor on the No. 31 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevrolet SS for the final three Cup events, and also served as the primary sponsor of Austin Dillon’s No. 33 NASCAR XFINITY Series entry at the Texas race.
“Grainger’s slogan, ‘For the ones who get it done,’ holds true for what this partnership and RCR stand for,” said Richard Childress, CEO and Chairman of Richard Childress Racing. “We’re proud to have this association with Grainger and look forward to interacting with their customers and employees. We plan to use our Sprint Cup program and RCR campus to showcase the innovative solutions that Grainger provides to its customers.”
Grainger will engage customers in its partnership with NASCAR, RCR and the No. 31 team through several marketing platforms including national racing-themed radio spots, social media and traditional marketing mediums.
For more information on today’s announcement, and all that is happening at RCR, please visitwww.rcrracing.com.
About Richard Childress Racing:
Richard Childress Racing (rcrracing.com) has earned more than 200 victories and 15 championships, including six in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Its 2015 Sprint Cup Series lineup includes two-time NASCAR champion Austin Dillon (No. 3 Dow/American Ethanol/Cheerios/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet), 2011 Brickyard 400 champion Paul Menard (No. 27 Menards Chevrolet) and 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar/Quicken Loans/Grainger/WIX Filters Chevrolet). Its XFINITY Series program includes Brian Scott (No. 2 Shore Lodge/Whitetail Chevrolet), 2012 Camping World Truck Series rookie of the year Ty Dillon (No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/WESCO/Yuengling Light Lager/Red Kap Chevrolet), Brendan Gaughan (No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet) and a multi-driver lineup with Austin Dillon, Brandon Jones and Paul Menard (No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet) team.
About Grainger:
W.W. Grainger, Inc., with 2014 sales of $10.0 billion, is North America’s leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products, with operations also in Asia, Europe and Latin America.