Andersen Racing Team Will Donate Race Car Signage during July in Honor of Best Friends’ 25th Anniversary

St. Lake, July 10, 2009: One of America’s signature marks for animal welfare—the logo of Best Friends Animal Society—will be on Andersen Racing Team’s race cars during July. Display of the logo will be Andersen Racing’s salute to Best Friends, which celebrates its 25th anniversary during the month.

The donated signage will draw attention to Best Friends’ quarter-century of service to the welfare of abused, abandoned, companion animals at its 3,700-acre sanctuary in southwestern Utah, and for its ongoing campaign work in cities across the United States.

Michelle Kish, director of operations for Andersen Racing, is an avid supporter of Best Friends who recently visited and volunteered at the sanctuary.

“I’m more than willing and excited to do this [for Best Friends],” Kish said. “It’s not like I’m saving the world through car racing, but I felt like this was something I could do to give back.”

The Best Friends logo will be displayed in a series of July races, beginning this Friday with the Star Mazda Championship race at the Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Other events are the Firestone Indy Lights Toronto 100 race July 11, and the Star Mazda Championship event at Autobahn Chicago in Joliet, Ill. July 23-25.

Vicki Kilmer-Rinker, director of marketing for Best Friends Animal Society, said the July partnership with Andersen rekindles a relationship between the team and Best Friends.

“The Best Friends mark for Saturday’s race in Toronto will be on the same No. 5 car (driven by Mario Romancini) that previously carried our logo,” said Kilmer-Rinker. “We are delighted that Andersen Racing is taking this opportunity to recognize Best Friends Animal Society for its ongoing work toward a day when there will be No More Homeless Pets.”

Best Friends’ No More Homeless PetsŪ program includes national campaigns in key U.S. cities to address the problems of saving pit bull dogs, exposing the truth about puppy mills, addressing the problem of cat overpopulation, and ensuring that every companion animal can have a home for life.

“Connecting Best Friends’ work with auto racing, other sports and the entertainment industry is a great way to inform the general public about important animal welfare issues that are all around us, yet they remain out of the line of sight for most people,” Kilmer-Rinker said. “If we can make just a few more people aware of the challenges faced by companion animals, it brings us that much closer to our goal.”