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Texas Motor Speedway and Firestone Brand Announce Multi-Year Title Sponsorship of Annual June IZOD IndyCar Series Race at TMS
Press Release
The event, formerly known as the Bombardier Learjet 550k, will be re-titled the Firestone 550k, and the first race under the new entitlement is set for Saturday, June 5. The race is a staple of Texas Motor Speedway, having been an annual event at “The Great American Speedway!” since the venue opened in 1997.
Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage and Firestone Racing Motorsports Manager Joe Barbieri made the announcement and unveiled the race logo during the speedway’s annual Media Day in the Grand Ballroom of The Speedway Club. Neither financial terms nor length of the contract were disclosed.
“The Firestone brand has been a tremendous supporter of the IZOD IndyCar Series throughout the years, and we are extremely pleased to announce this partnership,” Gossage said. “The brand has used its assets in the series to actively promote the sport and attract fans, and we look forward to working together with representatives of Firestone to promote and further enhance the newly titled Firestone 550k.”
The Firestone 550k is a strong addition to BATO’s lineup of sponsorship properties for its Firestone brand in motorsports. Firestone is the Official Tire of the IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights, Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. The Firestone brand also is the title sponsor of the Firestone Indy Lights developmental series and Firestone Freedom 100 Indy Lights race at IMS.
The Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway, however, will be BATO’s sole race entitlement in the IZOD IndyCar Series this season.
“There is just something really special about the sight of IZOD IndyCar Series cars racing under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway, and as title sponsor of the Firestone 550k, we are excited about the opportunity to have the Firestone brand showcased as a major part of this great event,” Speyer said. “With its high banks and fast speeds, the Texas Motor Speedway certainly puts a premium on tire performance, but we are proud to say the Firestone Firehawk tires are always up to the challenge. Eddie Gossage and his team do a fantastic job promoting the race, and the Firestone brand and Texas Motor Speedway have enjoyed a close partnership through the years. We are proud to take that relationship to the next level with this sponsorship announcement.”
Tickets for the Firestone 550k are available by calling (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.
About Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations: Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) is a business unit of Bridgestone Americas, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. Reporting into the BATO business unit are the company’s Latin American tire operations, the U.S. and Canadian consumer tire businesses and the U.S. and Canadian commercial tire businesses. BATO develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The business unit is focused on retail, wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in the Americas. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.
About Texas Motor Speedway: Texas Motor Speedway, with a crowd capacity in excess of 190,000, is among the largest sports stadiums in America and features an array of amenities that make it one of the premier venues in the world of sports. Known as “The Great American Speedway!,” the 1.5-mile superspeedway located in Fort Worth plays host to two races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series as well as one in the Indy Racing League IZOD IndyCar Series. The attendances for the NASCAR Sprint Cup events since the facility opened in 1997 annually rank among the largest sporting events in the United States. Texas Motor Speedway is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. a publicly traded company that is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States.
Texas Motor Speedway, Press Release
Article Tags: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, Firestone 550k, IndyCar, IRL, IZOD IndyCar Series, Texas Motor Speedway, TMS
