Featherlite Renews Agreement to Begin Their Second Decade With NASCAR
KANSAS CITY, Kan.--Sept. 28, 2001--Unprecendented Five-Year Agreement Will Continue Featherlite Modified
and Featherlite Southwest Series; Featherlite to Continue as
`Official Trailer' and `Official Luxury Coach' of NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and Iowa-based Featherlite, Inc. have signed a five-year agreement renewing their multi-tiered relationship, it was announced today. Featherlite will continue its affiliation as the "Official Trailer" and "Official Luxury Coach" of NASCAR in addition to extending its title sponsorship of two of NASCAR's nine Regional Touring Series--the Featherlite Modified Series and the Featherlite Southwest Series.
This is the first five-year commitment ever signed between the two organizations and extends through 2006, a relationship that began in November 1992.
"Since the relationship between NASCAR and Featherlite began, we have seen dramatic growth and expansion of the sport," NASCAR President Mike Helton said. "Partners like Featherlite have enabled NASCAR to do its job at the racetrack, while demonstrating the broad national marketing power of the NASCAR brand."
NASCAR itself relies on Featherlite transporters for its mobile command centers, which serve to host series officials at the track.
Featherlite built its first racecar transporter in 1991 for NASCAR Winston Cup Series team owner Richard Childress. Building on the success of that original, new era, state-of-the-art transporter, Featherlite quickly established itself as the leader in innovative specialty trailer designs. Featherlite's equipment has become the standard in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The Company also expanded to produce Vantare' luxury motor coaches, a favorite of racecar drivers and teams, as well as corporations, celebrities and people who like to travel during their leisure time.
Built from the ground up to exact specifications, the Featherlite-built 53-foot trailers for the NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series and other touring series house everything from offices to all the equipment needed to officiate an event. NASCAR Winston Cup Series transporters log in excess of 60,000 miles a season.
"Featherlite is proud of its long association with NASCAR and is delighted to put the finishing touches on a long-term commitment to that relationship," said Conrad Clement, Featherlite President and CEO. "NASCAR and professional motorsports are the nation's fastest growing leisure-time activity and Featherlite is the industry leader in innovative, top-performing specialty trailers and luxury coaches. This is a tailor-made relationship that promises to benefit fans, customers and teams, as well as our organizations, for years to come."
Featherlite, Inc. is based in Cresco, Iowa, and has been in business for nearly 30 years. The Company built America's first all-aluminum specialty trailer in 1973. Since then, Featherlite has been on the forefront of designing, manufacturing and marketing the industry's highest quality specialty trailers and luxury motorcoaches. In its nearly three decades, Featherlite has become the dominant force in horse, livestock, car, ATV, snowmobile, utility, and commercial standard and custom specialty trailer markets as well as in mobile marketing trailers and the race car, show and vending trailers used by NASCAR teams.
The Featherlite Modified Series is unique to NASCAR racing and NASCAR history. It operates as the oldest division of racecars in the history of NASCAR (pre-dating the NASCAR Winston Cup Series by one year). In addition, it is the only open-wheeled series in the NASCAR Touring Division. The current Featherlite Modified Series format was established in 1985 and includes low-slung, fender-free cars, which must maintain a wheelbase of 107 inches with a weight ranging from 2,610 lbs to 3,200 lbs. NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver Steve Park achieved a high level of success in this series before moving up.
The Featherlite Southwest Series became a part of the NASCAR Touring division in 1986 and features full-size Late Model Stock Cars. Similar to the NASCAR Winston Cup cars, these cars must be 1997 to 2000 version of American-made, steel-bodied passenger car production sedans. The talented crop of drivers gaining experience in the Featherlite Southwest Series includes Ron Hornaday and Kurt Busch.
NASCAR continues to be America's fastest growing sport with more than 63 million fans and 17 of the top 20 most attended events in the U.S. each year. NASCAR sanctions 2,200 events at 128 tracks in 40 states across the country. Beginning in 2001, NBC, TNT, FOX and FX have begun a unique consolidated television partnership bringing more races to more people throughout the year.