Nascar’s JR Motorsports Pens Deal with Ingersoll-Rand

Ingersoll-Rand has inked a sponsorship deal with JR Motorsports for the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series racing season.

Ingersoll Rand will be the primary sponsor of the No. 88 Chevrolet, capsule driven by Cole Whitt, ed a 20-year-old from Alpine, Calif., during the History 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 26, 2012. The company will also be an associate sponsor of the No. 88 car for 32 races on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.

“Two elements are critical to a team’s success — properly servicing your cars in the garage so they’re ready to roll on race day, and getting your driver in and out of the pits to protect their position on the track,” said Tony Eury Jr., JR Motorsports co-owner and crew chief. “Ingersoll Rand garage and pit tools will help our crews keep our cars running smoothly, so our drivers can chase down the checkered flag.”

JR Motorsports and the Earnhardt-Hendrick-Eury ownership nameplate have created a motorsports legacy of their own, dating back more than 57 years. Led by popular drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of racing legend Dale Earnhardt, and Danica Patrick, JR Motorsports boasts one of the largest fan bases in NASCAR. JR Motorsports is based in Davidson, N.C., and located just seven miles down the road from the Ingersoll Rand corporate center and North American headquarters.

Whitt is a new addition to the JR Motorsports garage, and will compete alongside Patrick for the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship in 2012. He is an eight-time International Karting Federation champion, two-time World Karting Association Grand National champion, and in 2008, he became the youngest driver to ever win the United States Auto Club (USAC) national championship.

JR Motorsports’ garage and pit crews will continue to use powerful pneumatic tools from Ingersoll Rand to improve the performance abilities of their cars throughout the racing season.

Bill Dwyre, director of marketing, Ingersoll Rand, said: “Ingersoll Rand has been supplying pit crews with the most efficient pit tools on the market since the inaugural NASCAR race in 1959. Today, nearly every pit crew team on the NASCAR circuit relies upon the Ingersoll Rand ThunderGun™ to service their cars, so the sponsorship is a natural fit.”

by Ismail Uddin