IndyCar - Go Daddy Signs Mario, Michael & Marco Andretti To IndyCar Sponsorship Deal

SCOTTSDALE, Aug. 26, 2011: Go Daddy is committing to IndyCar for another two years ... joining forces with three generations of a family synonymous with racing legend. Today, Go Daddy announced it has signed Mario, Michael and Marco Andretti as spokespeople and will also sponsor one of the Andretti Autosport IndyCar entries, with its driver and car to be revealed later this season. The deal officially begins next year and extends through the 2013 season.

"Three generations of Andrettis - now that's just plain cool," said Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons, who was a big fan of open-wheel racing as a child. "Deciding to stay with IndyCar was a pretty easy decision. The fans are great. Imagine the marketing potential. Mario is an absolute icon. Michael has been Go Daddy's partner as a team owner for five years now and Marco is a young man who is already in the racing record books. This is not your 'everyday' sponsorship, that's for sure."

Mario Andretti was named "Driver of the Century" in 2000¹ and won classic races over his illustrious career, including the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, Monza Grand Prix and the coveted Formula One World Championship and Indy Car championships. Mario is also a phenomenally successful entrepreneur. His son Michael, also a savvy businessman, is the owner of Andretti Autosport and a Hall of Fame driver himself. Michael's son, Marco, drives for Andretti Autosport and is the youngest driver ever to win a major IndyCar race at the time in 2006 at age 19.

As part of the deal, you can expect to see Mario, Michael and Marco in Go Daddy TV commercials as soon as this winter. This weekend, all three will talk about their new Go Daddy jobs during the first-ever IndyCar ORTSBO Internet interactive fan event based in Sonoma.

"We admire how Go Daddy runs its business," Mario Andretti said. "In IndyCar, we put the fans first and on the Internet ... Go Daddy puts the customers first. Go Daddy is absolutely passionate about what they do and I've always believed passion is at the heart of success."

Go Daddy is the world's largest provider of Web hosting, domain name registrations and net new SSL Certificates. Unlike many companies, Go Daddy has recorded double digit sales growth in each of the last seven years and has hired hundreds of people this year already.

Like his father, Michael expressed respect for Go Daddy's approach. "Bob and his team have grown Go Daddy into a world leader in a very competitive industry. You have to respect that. The formula is a simple one: make it easy and affordable to build an effective, reliable website ... and take good care of your customers. That's a good story to tell and the kind of sponsor every IndyCar team would love to have."

Today's announcement is significant economic news for IndyCar racing, considering the current economic climate.

"Go Daddy sticking with IndyCar is a tremendous win for our sport on so many levels," said Randy Bernard, IndyCar CEO. "Go Daddy is a dream sponsor. They know how to create excitement and build brand buzz. This is just the kind of sponsor we need in IndyCar."

Go Daddy plans to unveil its 2012 IndyCar this fall.

Meantime, Marco Andretti, an avid Internet user, is already quoting his new sponsor's CEO. "I like Bob Parsons' line, 'It doesn't matter who you are or what you know, when you're on the Internet, it's Go Daddy Go!'"