Northern Light IRL: Coast soap to sponsor Dreyer and Reinbold Racing in Indy Racing
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
May 25, 2001
INDIANAPOLIS - Coast Soap has joined its sister brand, Purex Detergent, on the starting grid for the Indianapolis 500 on May 27 and for the rest of the Indy Racing League season.
Impressed with the success experienced by Purex with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and the Indy Racing League, Coast announced May 24 that the brand has become a major associate sponsor of Team Purex/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the remainder of the 2001 Indy Racing Northern Light Series season.
The Team Purex/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry will sport new Coast Eye Opener identification when it lines up in the third row for the 85th running of the Indianapolis 500. The No. 24 car driven by Robbie Buhl is considered a legitimate contender to win the prestigious 500-mile race, which will be shown live on ABC Sports starting at 11 a.m. (EDT).
Coast and Purex are products of The Dial Corporation. Coast, acquired by Dial last year, has been a significant brand in the soap industry since 1976. Since acquiring the brand, the Dial team has improved Coast's distribution and product performance.
With its sponsorship of Team Purex/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Coast managers plan to use the growing popularity of the Indy Racing League and the success of the Team Purex/Dreyer & Reinbold G Force/Infiniti/Firestone to increase awareness of Coast and its "Eye Opener" positioning.
"Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and the Indy Racing League are great choices for the Coast brand," said Bill Puentes, director of marketing for the Coast brand. "We have watched the terrific momentum that our Purex brand has developed with Dreyer & Reinbold and the Indy Racing League as their business and marketing partners.
"Our partnership will increase Coast brand awareness with consumers and increase the brand's presence with retailers. Purex and the Indy Racing League have proven this model to be successful, and we plan to build off of that success."
Said Dennis Reinbold, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing co-owner: "We have worked very hard at developing an effective business model and platform for our sponsors to maximize their investments in Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and the Indy Racing League. Coast is a powerful brand, and we look forward to assisting them anyway we can to promote the brand and grow sales."
Text provided by Paul Kelly
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