Ingersoll-Rand Company announced that Evernham Motorsports (EMS) and Ingersoll-Rand will be expanding their partnership to include sponsorship of an Evernham Motorsports road course development program for the 2006 season.
The new program extends the long-standing relationship that Ray Evernham, president and CEO of Evernham Motorsports, has enjoyed with Ingersoll-Rand, and allows the organization to further develop its road course performance by tapping road racing veteran Boris Said to serve not only as a driver, but also as a coach.
Said piloted the No. 9 Ingersoll-Rand Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Busch Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on March 5, earning the pole and finishing second in the 200 mile race, Said’s career-best finish in the NASCAR Busch Series. He also will act as a technical consultant on the development of road course cars and serve as coach to the Evernham Motorsports stable of drivers.
“Ingersoll-Rand has been a partner at EMS since the beginning and we have many years of success together,” Evernham said. “They have supported us on pit road with great air tools since the beginning and now this is an opportunity for them to be out front as a primary sponsor.”
In addition to the designation as Official Air Tools and Compressors of Evernham Motorsports, Ingersoll Rand will also be the title sponsor of the EMS Pit Training Facility in Statesville, NC, and will be an associate sponsor of the No. 9 Ultimate Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Busch Series for the duration of the season.
“Ingersoll-Rand is proud of our affiliation with Ray Evernham and we are pleased to sponsor the EMS Road Course Development Program,” said Marc Dufour, president, Americas, for the Ingersoll-Rand Industrial Technologies sector. “Boris Said is a proven champion who provides Ingersoll-Rand with a great opportunity to showcase its brands as part of a winning team.”
Ingersoll-Rand has been building leading quality air tools for more than a century, including the very first impact tools. Their impact wrenches have been used in NASCAR pit stops for more than 50 years and their ThunderGun impact wrench is currently used by every Nextel Cup Series team for lightning-fast pit stops.
The next race for Ingersoll-Rand to adorn the hood of a race car will be on a fourth Nextel Cup car for Evernham Motorsports at Watkins Glen International August 13. The driver of the No. 98 Ingersoll-Rand Dodge Charger will be announced at a later date.
For additional information on products from Ingersoll-Rand, see your local tool professional, call (800) 376-TOOL or visit www.irtools.com.