Iconic STP® brand returns to racing

DANBURY, Conn. (April 13, 2011) – When STP and Richard Petty first signed a deal in 1972, it forever changed the sponsorship landscape within the sport of auto racing. To mark its 39 year history in racing, the STP brand is building its presence in the sport through multiple series’ including NASCAR, NHRA, World of Outlaws, Infineon Speedway, and at several International Speedway Corporation (ISC) tracks.

STP’s racing portfolio includes:

• Multi-year title sponsorship of the Nationwide and Cup races at Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway, respectively. This year, the STP 300 Nationwide Series race will take place on June 4 and the STP 400 Cup race will run on June 5.  

• The STP-branded No. 43 car will make its return to the track driven by Richard Petty Motorsports driver, AJ Allmendinger, during the STP 400. The No. 43 STP Ford Fusion will be a modern replica of the 1972 paint scheme featuring the original Petty Blue and STP Day-Glo Red.
• Primary sponsor of two-time NHRA Full Throttle Nitro Funny Car Champion Tony Pedregon for three races (Las Vegas, Houston and Infineon) and an associate sponsorship for the balance of the season.
• Multi-year track sponsorships with a number of ISC properties including Daytona, Talladega, Richmond, Darlington, Michigan, Chicagoland and Kansas.
• Multi-year track sponsorship of Infineon Raceway and title sponsor of Wednesday Night Drags and Bracket Drags.
• Continued sponsorship of Tony Stewart Racing and four-time World of Outlaws Champion Donny Schatz and the World of Outlaws Series.

“Since our initial sponsorship with Richard Petty almost 40 years ago, we’ve understood the power of racing and the ability to connect with our consumers through the sport,” said Dave Lundstedt, CEO of Armored AutoGroup Inc. “We are excited to be continuing that relationship with the fans and adding another chapter to our storied racing history with a diverse stable of sponsorships.”

Added Guy Andrysick, Armored AutoGroup EVP of Sales and Marketing, “Just like the teams, drivers and tracks that we are sponsoring, the STP brand stands for quality and performance. So as we look to grow the STP brand in a competitive marketplace and create new and exciting activation opportunities for our retail partners, a renewed presence in motorsports is an important part of our strategy.”

Part of what made STP an iconic brand within the sport was the No. 43 race car that dawned the classic Petty Blue and STP Day-Glo Red. Richard Petty proudly drove the No. 43 STP car for 200 wins during his racing career – 100 more than any other driver. STP’s winning relationship with Petty shows that STP truly has “The Racer’s Edge®” in the sport. 

“Since `72, I’ve been an STP man, so I’m thrilled to see one of the RPM cars out on the track with the STP paint scheme,” said Richard Petty, team owner of Richard Petty Motorsports and legendary driver of the No. 43 STP car. “It’s exciting to see such an iconic brand build upon its heritage in the sport at this level.”

“We are extremely proud to announce this multi-year partnership with STP at several ISC tracks,” said Daryl Q. Wolfe, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at ISC.  “It is always great to see iconic sponsors like STP take a renewed interest in the sport, especially given STP’s long and rich history in NASCAR and motorsports as a whole.  We take pride in developing strong promotional platforms for our partners and we look forward to working closely with STP in the future to meet and exceed their marketing objectives.”

Armored AutoGroup Inc:

Headquartered in Danbury, Conn., is primarily comprised of the Armor All® and STP® brands. The current Armor All product line of protectants, wipes, tire and wheel care products, glass cleaners, leather care products and washes is designed to clean, shine and protect interior and exterior automobile surfaces. The STP product line of oil and fuel additives, functional fluids and automotive appearance products has a broad customer base ranging from professional racers to car enthusiasts and "Do-it-Yourselfers".

Richard Petty Motorsports:

Known to many simply as “The King,” Richard Petty is the most decorated driver in the history of NASCAR racing, winning a record 200 races and seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships during his illustrious career. In late 2010, Petty partnered with Medallion Financial and DBG Investments to purchase the assets of Richard Petty Motorsports. Richard Petty Motorsports fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. AJ Allmendinger wheels the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with sponsorship from Stanley and DEWALT. For additional information about the Concord, N.C.-based race team, please visit richardpettymotorsports.com.

International Speedway Corporation:

International Speedway Corporation is a leading promoter of motorsports activities, currently promoting more than 100 racing events annually as well as numerous other motorsports-related activities.  The Company owns and/or operates 13 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities, including Daytona International Speedway® in Florida (home of the DAYTONA 500®); Talladega Superspeedway® in Alabama; Michigan International Speedway® located outside Detroit; Richmond International Raceway® in Virginia; Auto Club Speedway of Southern California^SM near Los Angeles; Kansas Speedway® in Kansas City, Kansas; Phoenix International Raceway® in Arizona; Chicagoland Speedway® and Route 66 Raceway^SM near Chicago, Illinois;  Homestead-Miami Speedway^SM in Florida; Martinsville Speedway® in Virginia; Darlington Raceway® in South Carolina; and Watkins Glen International® in New York.  In addition, ISC promotes major motorsports activities in Montreal, Quebec, through its subsidiary, Stock-Car Montreal.