The Wm Wrigley Jr. Company Gears Up For Partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
PHOENIX--The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company will make its NASCAR debut with a partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) that features Wrigley’s Spearmint, Doublemint, Big Red, Juicy Fruit and Winterfresh brands. Wrigley will sponsor rising stars Reed Sorenson and David Stremme, who will drive the No. 41 Dodge in the first 25 Busch Series races in 2007, and former Indianapolis 500 champion and Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who will drive the No. 42 Big Red® Dodge in three NEXTEL Cup races for the 2007 NASCAR season.
“We are looking forward to joining the excitement and fun that is NASCAR racing,” said Paul Chibe, Wrigley’s Vice President of U.S. Marketing. “Now is the perfect time for us to align our well-loved Wrigley brands with stock car racing and this strong lineup of outstanding drivers to reach millions of dedicated, loyal NASCAR fans.”
Sorenson and Stremme will alternate as the driver of the No. 41 car on the first 25 races of the Busch Series. Their car will feature a rotating paint scheme of Wrigley’s Spearmint, Doublemint, Juicy Fruit, and Winterfresh brands. Wrigley will be an associate sponsor of the car for the remaining 10 races. When Montoya grabs the wheel of the No. 42 Big Red® Dodge for three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, his car and uniform will feature a bold black-and-red Big Red® color scheme, setting him apart from the pack. Wrigley, through its Big Red® brand, will also be an associate sponsor of the car for the remaining 33 races.
“I’m really looking forward to my first season of NASCAR racing, and I’m thrilled to be associated with some of Wrigley’s most recognizable brands,” said Montoya. “My goal will be to put the Big Red® car in the front of the field when the green flag waves, and get Big Red® to victory lane.”
“I think it’s a great fit for our team,” said Reed Sorenson. “It means a lot to have such a well known sponsor support me this early in my career and I’m going to work hard to make sure 2007 is a winning season for both of us.”
“I grew up with Wrigley, so it is a thrill to have our team behind the wheel of their first racing sponsorship,” added David Stremme.
“The growing fan base in NEXTEL and Busch Series racing makes it the perfect time for Wrigley to come on as a sponsor,” said Team Owner Chip Ganassi. “We expect great things from the team in 2007 and are excited to partner with Wrigley for their first trip around the track.”
Sorenson began racing at just six years old and his youth has served him well as the 20-year-old won his first Busch Series race in just his 11th start. Sorenson is the youngest driver to be named Rookie of the Year in the American Speed Association series. This year is his first full season driving in the NEXTEL Cup series.
Stremme grew up in a family of race car drivers, winning his first competition at age 15. He took the NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year title in 2003, becoming the only driver to ever claim the honor without racing full time in the series.
One of the most accomplished drivers in the world, Montoya won the CART Championship as a rookie and the next season took the checkered flag at the Indy 500. He remains one of only two drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Grand Prix of Monaco.
About Wrigley
The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. is a recognized leader in the confectionery field and the world's largest manufacturer and marketer of chewing gum, with global sales of more than $4 billion. The Company markets its world-famous brands in more than 180 countries. Four of these brands -- Wrigley's Spearmint®, Juicy Fruit®, Solano® and Altoids® -- have heritages stretching back more than a century. Other brands around the world include Doublemint®, Life Savers®, Big Red®, Boomer®, Pim Pom®, Winterfresh®, Extra®, Freedent®, Hubba Bubba®, Orbit®, Excel®, Creme Savers®, Eclipse®, Airwaves®, Alpine®, Sugus®, Cool Air®, and P.K.®.
About Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
Following a strong career as a driver, Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with a new sponsor, Target Stores. Today, his teams include two IRL IndyCars, three cars in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, a Daytona Prototype in the world of Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series racing and two entries in the NASCAR Busch Series. Ganassi’s IndyCar teams have amassed five Championships and 50 wins since 1994; his NASCAR teams have nine wins and a Rookie-of-the-Year title; and the Grand American team has won two of the last three Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championships and the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Chip Ganassi Racing operates out of state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis, Ind., and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.