Discount Tire renews Penske sponsorships

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 11, 2016) — Discount Tire Co./America's Tire has renewed its sponsorship deal with Team Penske for 2017, covering the Mooresville-based race team's entries in both NASCAR and IndyCar.

The deal calls for Discount Tire to be the primary sponsor on Penske's No. 22 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for a seventh straigt season, along with being an associate sponsor on both the No. 2 and No. 22 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford Fusions and on Penske's Verizon IndyCar Series cars, the latter for the first time.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Discount Tire is proud of its winning relationship with Roger and Team Penske,” Discount Tire President Michael Zuieback said. “We have a shared desire of being the best at what we do, by caring for our wonderful people, teamwork and the pursuit of getting better every day.”

Since joining Team Penske's XFINITY Series (Nationwide Series then) program in 2010, Discount Tire has been a key part of four championships for the No. 22 team, starting with Brad Keselowski's 2010 driver title and including NXS owners' championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Four different drivers have won races for Discount Tire at Team Penske — Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, AJ Allmendinger and Mr. Keselowski.

Discount Tire said it leverages its sponsorship deal by having Team Penske drivers appear at Discount Tire and America's Tire stores across the country for meet-and-greets and autograph sessions with fans, along with participating in Discount Tire-organized tire-safety-advocacy efforts.

Discount Tire also schedules an extensive showcar program that tours key markets and integrates its sponsorhip deal into employee events, sales promotions and customer contests, point-of-sale materials and television advertising.

“When you think about companies that have made a commitment and helped the grow the sport, especially in the XFINITY Series, there is no question that Discount Tire is one of the first ones that comes first to mind,” Team Penske owner Roger Penske said.

“Team Penske has developed a great relationship with Bruce Halle and the entire group at Discount Tire. They enjoy all of the success we have had together in racing, but they also maximize their partnership with our team away from the track.”

Messrs. Keselowski, Logano and Blaney are scheduled to race the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang in 2017.

The 2017 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season begins in February with the running of the non-points Unlimited and Daytona 500 on February 26. The NASCAR XFINITY Series also begins at Daytona on February 25.

The 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season starts March 12 on the Streets of St. Petersburg. The partners did not elaborate on how extensive Discount Tire's appearance on the Penske's IndyCar racers will be. Penske is planning a four-car team in 2017.

Discount Tire operates more than 925 retail stores in 31 states across the country. Since 2010, the company has expanded into 10 new states and added 140 retail locations.