MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 13, 2011) – It was announced today that JR Motorsports will be part of a three-team NASCAR sponsorship initiative for HendrickCars.com, a retail automotive website that was re-launched on Feb. 1. The sponsorship coincides with HendrickCars.com’s “2012 Indy Dream Weekend” sweepstakes, in which visitors to the website can register for a chance to win a weekend for two at the 2012 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The JR Motorsports component to this three-pronged HendrickCars.com sponsorship will be primary placement of the No. 88 Chevrolet in the March 17 Nationwide Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway. The other components feature primary placement on Phoenix Racing’s entry in the Feb. 25 Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 and Feb. 26 Daytona 500. HendrickCars.com will also serve as major associate sponsor on Richard Childress Racing’s No. 33 Chevrolet in the Daytona 500.
“We feel fortunate to be a part of the initiative to drive awareness of HendrickCars.com and its new inventory of cars,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Vice President of JR Motorsports. “We pride ourselves on having assets both on and off the track to support our sponsors’ marketing goals. HendrickCars.com has such an incredible inventory of new and used cars -- literally something for everybody -- and we look forward to doing our part to help with its continued success.”
The sponsorship pairs HendrickCars.com with Nationwide Series rookie-of-the-year contender, Cole Whitt. In his first season at JR Motorsports, Whitt, 20, is joining a team that finished fourth in the championship standings in 2011.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to represent HendrickCars.com at Bristol,” Whitt said. “This will be my first time in a Nationwide Series car at Bristol, but I raced there in the Camping World Truck Series and thoroughly enjoyed it. It suits my style, and I can’t wait to get back there.”
Whitt started 30th, finished 12th, and completed all 200 laps in the Aug. 24, 2011, Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol. He finished ninth in the Truck Series standings last year with one pole, two top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. The 20-year-old Whitt made his mark in sprint cars, as he became the youngest driver to win the United States Auto Club (USAC) National Midget championship in 2008.
HendrickCars.com’s sponsorship on the No. 88 completes a heavy-duty line-up for JR Motorsports at “Thunder Valley”. Danica Patrick will drive the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet featuring a special St. Patrick’s Day-themed paint scheme, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his second Nationwide Series start of 2012 in the No. 5 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet.
“Anytime we take three teams to the track, it’s a really big weekend for our company,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We don’t do it often, but when we do, it’s like we’re unloading everything we have in the barrel. I like driving for TaxSlayer, because they are good people and they provide a great service to their customers. Danica is driving a St. Patrick’s Day paint scheme for Go Daddy that will catch a lot of attention, and so it should. It’s a nice-looking race car. And Cole will be carrying HendrickCars.com on his car, and that’s very important to us. I remember when HendrickCars.com sponsored Tony Stewart at Daytona a few years ago, and he won with it. I think Cole and (crew chief) Tony Eury Sr. are good enough to do the same thing at Bristol.”
Features of the new HendrickCars.com website include streamlined navigation, an expanded offering of used cars and the addition of thousands of new vehicles. The site also has added performance and classic cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles to its inventory. Customers can view detailed information for nearly 20,000 vehicles, including up to 60 images per listing.
The “2012 Indy Dream Weekend” sweepstakes will run from Feb. 13 through March 19. Visitors can log onto www.HendrickCars.com to register for a chance to win a weekend for two at the 2012 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The winner and a guest will receive behind-the-scenes access, a tour of the historic racing venue, VIP seats in a trackside suite and more. The winner will be announced March 23 at www.HendrickCars.com.