Hot Wheels-R- Racing Celebrates Petty Enterprises' 50th Anniversary in Racing
27 May 1999
Hot Wheels-R- Racing Celebrates Petty Enterprises' 50th Anniversary in Racing
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BW SportsWire)--May 27, 1999--Mattel, Inc. announced that it will create a line of die-cast vehicles, with a special anniversary paint scheme, to commemorate Petty Enterprises' 50th Anniversary in stock car racing."Celebrating the Past, Geared for the Future" is the theme that Petty Racing will use to celebrate its past as the winningest organization in racing history, as well as to communicate its commitment to adding victories and championships to its list of accomplishments. A special paint scheme for all of the Petty vehicles racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 5-7, 1999 and the corresponding Hot Wheels die-cast models of the No. 43, No. 44 and No. 45 Petty cars and No. 43 truck - will be unveiled today at a press conference at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
In honor of Petty Enterprises' 50th Anniversary, Hot Wheels is introducing the 1:24 scale Crew's Choice line of die-cast collectibles available through direct mail only. Each die-cast body features a hood and trunk that opens and closes, authentic sponsor logos and a realistic interior. The vehicles also have highly detailed chassis, differential, suspension and synthetic rubber-like tires.
A limited edition two-pack Hot Wheels models set will also be available featuring a 1:24 scale car with the exclusive Petty Enterprises' 50th Anniversary paint scheme to be run at Indianapolis, and a 1:64 scale vehicle in its authentic regular season decoration.
These products will be sold at hobby shops and trackside and will only be available during the 1999 season.
"Over the past 50 years, Petty Racing has evolved into a powerful racing organization," said Jim Wagner, Senior Vice President of Hot Wheels Marketing and Licensing at Mattel. "We're proud to add our popular Hot Wheels die-cast vehicles to the celebration of this remarkable anniversary."
"Mattel produces awesome children's products and boasts a portfolio of lifestyle brands which are household names," said Kyle Petty. "It's appropriate that a company with such an acknowledged reputation will produce the die-cast vehicles commemorating our 50th anniversary."
Petty Racing was founded as Lee Petty Engineering in 1949. Petty Racing has totaled 273 wins and 10 championships in NASCAR's premier series.
From licensed consumer apparel and accessories to interactive software, Hot Wheels is burning up on and off the racetrack. Hot Wheels cars thundered into the toy world in 1968. More than 30 years later, Hot Wheels is a more than $250 million global brand and a leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of vehicles, playsets and tracks. In addition to leading the way with speed, power, performance and attitude, Hot Wheels cars are also cool collectibles for adults. For the latest news on How Wheels, make a brake on the information superhighway and cruise over to www.hotwheels.com.
Mattel, Inc., with $4.8 billion in annual revenues, is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of children's products. With headquarters in El Segundo, California, Mattel has offices and facilities in 36 countries and markets its products in more than 150 nations throughout the world.
EDITORS' NOTE: Color artwork available upon requests.