Catchfence

Jason Leffler returns to the seat for shared ride with Kasey Kahne

MOORESVILLE, NC (July 3, 2009) – Braun Racing is pleased to announce that marketing partner of three years, Great Clips, Inc., will return for another three seasons to sponsor the No. 38 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Jason Leffler will pilot the No. 38 Great Clips Camry for 27 of the 35 scheduled races while Kasey Kahne, a familiar face in the Great Clips firesuit, will drive the No. 38 in the remaining eight races. Leffler will complete the balance of a full series schedule by running Braun Racing’s No. 10 entry, thereby having the opportunity to run for the 2010 championship.

Great Clips has used the Nationwide Series as their primary national marketing platform for the last nine years. Their sponsorship began in 2000 with Stringer Motorsports (formerly Akins Motorsports) as they climbed on board to sponsor the team’s No. 38 entry with driver, Christian Elder. Mark Green piloted the No. 38 for one season before team owner, Doug Stringer, hired up-and-coming talent, Kasey Kahne, thereby solidifying Great Clips commitment to their NASCAR sponsorship.

Together, Kahne and his sponsor reached momentous milestones including capturing Kahne’s first Nationwide Series victory in 2003 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was also Great Clips’ first win as primary sponsor. In 2005, Kahne captured his second career win at Texas Motor Speedway before leaving Stringer Motorsports the following year to allow more time for his Sprint Cup Series efforts.

In 2006, Stringer Motorsports merged with Braun Racing, a move which put Jason Leffler behind the wheel of the No. 38 Camry. In 2007, Leffler gave Great Clips another win when he took the checkered flag at O’Reilly Raceway Park. The victory was a highly publicized one as it was a first for Toyota in the Nationwide Series. Leffler has represented Great Clips on the track since that time and is currently having his best season to date from a performance standpoint.

“We are very excited about our 2010 program and our continuing partnership with Braun Racing,” said Terri Miller, Vice President of Marketing, Great Clips, Inc. “Jason Leffler and Kasey Kahne are both extremely talented drivers and we are very proud to have them both as representatives of our brand. We have a great relationship with Jason, who has done an amazing job for us over the last three seasons. His performance this year has given us a lot to brag about and it is exciting that he is still in the championship hunt. The return of Kasey to the team adds a unique twist to our program, given that he was the driver to give us our first victory as a primary sponsor in the series. It is time for Nationwide-only team to claim the championship and we intend to be that team!”

Stringer, who still has a vested interest in the No. 38 team, and Braun Racing team owner, Todd Braun, are proud to be able to continue the long-standing partnership with Great Clips and excited about the program they have put into place for the next three years.

“We are very pleased with the three year extension of the Great Clips sponsorship, which will make it one of the longest running sponsors in the industry,” said Stringer. “We have a great program in place that we feel is going to meet all of Great Clips marketing goals and bring excitement both on and off the racetrack.”

- Braun Racing, Press Release