Jasper Engines & Transmissions to Sponsor First Ever Import Truck in the
ARCA/Lincoln Welders Truck Series
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 09, 2001
Contact:	Mike Pfau
Jasper Engines & Transmissions
812-482-1041 (extension 2710) e-mail: mpfau@jasperengines.com
Tom Schrader, Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Development for
Jasper Engines & Transmissions announced today his company’s historic
sponsorship of the first ever import truck to run in the ARCA/Lincoln
Welders Truck Series. The #11 2001 Toyota Tacoma was developed and built by
Future Motorsports, Inc. of Morgantown, West Virginia, and is being
campaigned by the “fasttrucks.com” racing team, a division of Future
Motorsports, Inc.
Jasper Engines and Transmissions is no stranger to the world of racing. In
addition to sponsoring Robert Pressley in the #77 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
car, the company also sponsors drivers in NHRA sanctioned events and the
NASCAR Gatorade All Pro Series. “We’ve looked at racing as an excellent
means of building brand awareness,” said Schrader. “Racing sponsorships have
done a great job in building the awareness of our domestic remanufactured
engines and transmissions for cars and light to heavy-duty trucks. We view
this sponsorship as an opportunity to let more people know about our line of
remanufactured import engines as an economical means of extending the life
of their present vehicle,” he added.
Future Motorsports President, Jody Stirewalt, has a similar goal in mind.
“We plan to offer existing Toyota Motor Company retailers a unique
opportunity to present the Toyota product line to the buying public through
the use of a national Motorsports competition. Now having association with
Jasper Engines and Transmissions, we will be introducing import car and
truck owners to new possibilities for keeping their existing vehicles on the
road.”
Racing audiences, up until now, have typically had the opportunity to view
only domestically produced motorsports vehicles. “We plan to change that,”
said Stirewalt. Future Motorsports, Inc. has worked with ARCA (Automobile
Racing Club of America) to remove existing barriers and reach a new audience
of racing fans.
The 2.6 liter powered Tacoma will be driven by Norm Weaver, a veteran dirt
track and asphalt racer. Weaver’s relationship with Stirewalt began in 1988
when the pair teamed up to run Modified Four Cylinders. During the next four
years, the Weaver/Stirewalt team swept the tri-state area (West Virginia,
Ohio & Maryland) winning almost everywhere they raced, at one point
compiling 19 wins in 21 starts. A 1995 career change took Weaver to North
Carolina where he continued to hone his racing skills. In 1998 the
Weaver/Stirewalt relationship was again sparked beginning this chase for a
crown in the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series.
The 2001 Toyota Tacoma will be raced in thirteen point series events in 12
locations throughout the spring and summer. The inaugural race for the truck
will be this weekend on Friday, May 11, at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta,
Kentucky. The 1.5 mile tri-oval not only serves as a premier venue for such
a historic event, but also is located less than two hours from two of the
JASPER remanufacturing facilities.
For additional information about JASPER remanufactured products and the
company’s racing involvement, please visit their web site at
www.jasperengines.com. For more information about Future Motorsports, Inc.,
fasttrucks.com and the #11 Toyota Tacoma, please visit www.fasttrucks.com.