As part of Daytona 500 weekend, Freightliner Trucks announced its official sponsorship of NASCAR at a press conference in Daytona Beach, Fla.
“Both NASCAR and Freightliner Trucks share a passion for vehicles that push the envelope in terms of performance and efficiency,” Jonathan Randall, Freightliner’s director of product marketing, said Friday, Feb. 17. Freightliner will sponsor 13 Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series racing teams this season. “In addition to all of the great teams we’ve been affiliated with for years, we are also proud to announce our latest team relationship with Dale Earnhardt Inc.,” Randall said.
Freightliner also announced the 2006 debut of the Freightliner Run Smart Hauler Challenge, a series of five pre-race competitions in which NASCAR haulers will demonstrate their driving skills on NASCAR racetracks behind the wheel of a Freightliner Coronado. The grand prize is $35,000, the second prize $15,000, and the third prize $5,000. The first competition will narrow the contenders to 16, and the final competition will pit the top two haulers against each other. Dates and locations are:
The 13 racing teams sponsored by Freightliner will use Coronado and Classic XL models to transport cars and team equipment from race to race all season long. The teams are:
“A small city moves from event to event during the 38-race NASCAR Nextel Cup season, and partners like Freightliner keep our sport rolling,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR’s vice president of corporate marketing.
