Sealy Shifts Into High Gear with Sponsorship of Champ Race Car Driver Alan Sciuto
17 Year-old Sciuto to Drive Sealy Champ Car in 7 Races
ARCHDALE, N.C., March 23 -- Sealy, the leading bedding manufacturer, announced today it is aligning itself with one of America's most promising young racers, by sponsoring Atlantic Championship driver Alan Sciuto. Seventeen year-old Sciuto, a rising star of open-wheel racing, will drive the Sealy Posturepedic Atlantic car in seven races in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 2006.
Sciuto's first race in the Sealy Posturepedic Atlantic Car will be in April 9 in Long Beach, California. Other races include Houston, Texas; Portland, Oregon; Monterrey, Mexico; Cleveland, Ohio; and Toronto, Ontario. Sciuto will be driving the newly-designed Swift 016.a chassis powered by a 300 horsepower Cosworth engine on Yokohama racing tires, which was unveiled in February.
The Sealy Posturepedic Atlantic car was unveiled when Sciuto sped the car around the California Speedway test track in Ontario, California.
"Alan has emerged as one of the most talented young drivers in the Champ Car Atlantic racing circuit and Sealy is proud to sponsor him in the Atlantic Series this summer. The growth and success of Champ Car racing has the ability to generate tremendous excitement for our brand," said Philip Dobbs, senior vice president of marketing at Sealy.
Sciuto was named "Young Driver of the Year" by Shifter Kart Magazine in 2002. In 2004 he was ranked nationally as the number one Shifter Kart driver in North America and the first to be named both Junior and Pro Driver of the Year with 15 consecutive National podiums. In 2005 he raced two Skip Barber races and two Pro Zetec events and finished with a first and second in both venues. Sciuto also competed in three Champ Car Atlantic events in 2005, and in Denver, Colorado he became the youngest driver ever to qualify on an Atlantic pole position. He lives with his parents in Orange, California.
Sciuto said, "I'm very proud of the sponsorship from Sealy and excited about the opportunity this year to compete and do my best. I am also thrilled with the relationship with PKV Racing and Polestar Racing Group and look forward to an exciting season."
Polestar Racing Group Team was founded by Jim and Pam Griffith and Bruce Potter in 2001. PKV Racing is a Champ Car team that is owned by Dan Petit, Kevin Kalkhoven, and Champ Car driver Jimmy Vasser.
Champ Car, a shortened form of "Championship Car," has been the name for a class of open-wheel racing used in American Championship Car Racing. Successful drivers in the Atlantic Series often compete in the Champ Car World Series, much like NASCAR drivers in the Busch Series move on to the Nextel Cup.
Sealy Inc.
Sealy is the largest bedding manufacturer in the world and is the leading bedding company in North America. Including its subsidiaries, Sealy has 30 manufacturing plants in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, France, Italy, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico and OEM manufacturing in Korea, Malaysia, Southeast China and Taiwan. Sealy has 12 international licensees operating in Spain, Australia, Israel, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, South Africa, the Bahamas and the United Kingdom. Sealy produces and sells a full range of mattresses under the Sealy, Sealy Posturepedic(R), Stearns & Foster and Bassett brand names. Sealy-branded licensed products include: crib mattresses, sheets, pillows, mattress pads and comforters, office chairs, futons and sleep sofas. For more information on Sealy, Inc. visit http://www.sealy.com/.
Photo available: David White Contacts: David White 336.774.9220 david.white@mullen.com Maria Lachapelle 336.774.9225 maria.lachapelle@mullen.com