Discount Tire Co. and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced yesterday that Discount Tire Co. will become the “Official Sponsor of Talent Development” for CGRFS.
As part of the official sponsorship, Discount Tire will be an associate sponsor on all three CGRFS NEXTEL Cup Series entries and the primary sponsor of a NASCAR Busch Series car for eight races during the 2004 season. The Busch Series car will be driven by NASCAR NEXTEL Cup young guns Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears, as well as ASA driver Reed Sorensen.
“We are pleased to be in Michigan today, only a few miles from the birthplace of Discount Tire Company, to announce that we have entered into a partnership with
NASCAR and Chip Ganassi Racing,” said Tom Sivak, a Vice President of Discount Tire Co. “For the past 44 years, our employees, from the most senior executives to our newest members, have started out selling and changing tires. It is apparent from the way they develop drivers and crew and in the way they treat their 300 employees, that Chip Ganassi shares in this philosophy. Therefore, it is only natural for us to sponsor the Talent Development Program for Chip Ganassi Racing. Together, we will continue to educate, develop, and empower our employees, standing as a recognizable force in the exciting world of NASCAR.”
Team Owner Chip Ganassi is excited about the new partnership.
“Discount Tire is an amazing company that has experienced tremendous success because of their focus on caring for and cultivating their people, and creating value for their customers,” said Ganassi. “We have the same philosophy with our company which is why they are such a great partner for us. We’re proud to have them as our sponsor of talent development.”
The No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge will make its NASCAR Busch Series debut on August 7th at Indianapolis Raceway Park and will be piloted by Sorenson. Sorenson is currently fourth in the ASA standings and is a favorite for the series championship. He will also be at the helm of the No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge at Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 30th, Darlington Raceway on November 13th and Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20th.
McMurray and Mears will compete in two races each for Discount Tire in addition to their NASCAR NEXTEL Cup duties. McMurray will drive the No. 41 Dodge at Michigan International Speedway on August 21st and Phoenix International Raceway on November 6th, while Mears will compete in the car at California Speedway on September 4th and on October 15th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
