CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Goodyear Gatorback automotive belt manufacturer Veyance Technologies has announced a three-year extension of its agreement with NASCAR, in which Goodyear Gatorback remains an exclusive NASCAR Performance partner and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race contingency award sponsor.
Goodyear belts became the exclusive NASCAR Performance sponsor of automotive aftermarket belts in 1997 and have been used by NASCAR race teams since 1981. Today, Gatorback Poly-V belts are used by every major race team with the same premium belt construction available for race fans at retailers and installers.
The weekly “Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap” contingency award, introduced in 2003, recognizes a driver with the quickest lap while leading each NASCAR Sprint Cup race. In addition, a bonus award goes to the driver that wins the most Gatorback fastest lap awards in a season.
In 2008, Jimmie Johnson was the recipient of this award, logging the quickest lap while leading nine races. Kevin Harvick captured the fastest lead lap time of the year at 198.261 mph at Talladega Superspeedway in October.
“The Gatorback contingency award and NASCAR Performance sponsorship link our
track success to car owners and drivers, whether on a race oval, busy highway or isolated roadway,” said Tim Toppen, CEO and president of Veyance. “Racing provides information to keep us on the cutting edge of rubber compounding and reinforcement technology for operating at street-legal speeds, and NASCAR and Goodyear Gatorback names provide the company’s authorized distributors with competitive marketing advantages.”
Odis Lloyd, managing director of NASCAR’s Automotive Group, agrees. “Fans are loyal buyers of race sponsor and participant products, and other consumers recognize that the NASCAR and Goodyear Gatorback names mean high performance and reliability,” said Lloyd. “We’re excited to extend this long-term relationship.”
NASCAR is one of the few professional sports leagues that has created an automotive-specific marketing program for its family of automotive sponsors. The platform, branded as NASCAR Performance, includes exclusive marketing rights, the ability to co-brand products and product packaging as well as involvement in a long list of integrated media programs.