M. Thompson renews multiple race deals

STOW, Ohio — Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels has renewed sponsorship commitments for the 2017 season with the National Hot Rod Associations (NHRA), International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and National Muscle Car Association (NMCA).

The company also is supporting off-road racer Brian Deegan in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) for the fifth straight year.

With the NHRA, Mickey Thompson will continue to sponsor events that are part of the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, along with offering contingencies for all NHRA Sportsman, Pro Mod and Pro Stock Motorcycle racing classes. The company will attend all national events with a support trailer to provide trackside support to racers throughout the 2017 season.

The company also plans to continue sponsoring defending champions Dan Fletcher (Super Stock class) and Luke Bogacki (Super Gas class) in their respective events.

The 2017 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series features 24 race weekends, ending with the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif., Nov. 9-12.

Mickey Thompson also plans to be a divisional level associate contingency sponsor of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series in all Sportsman classes and will support NHRA racers through its Team M/T program

With the IHRA, Mickey Thompson will sponsor the Summit Sportsman National Championship, Summit Team Finals and Summit SuperSeries, in addition to offering contingency awards for all racing classes.

"We are proud to provide continued support of this action-packed drag racing series," stated.

"The IHRA…supports local racing opportunities for drivers at all levels," said Ken Warner, vice president of marketing. "We are excited to sponsor the series again this year."

The season concludes Sept. 22-24 with the Dragway 42 Summit Sportsman National Event at Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio.

Regarding the NMCA, Mickey Thompson will again sponsor the heads-up Radial Wars class, as it has done since 2014, and will offer trackside support at most NMCA events and contingency awards to drivers competing in Pro, Sportsmen and various special event classes.

Mickey Thompson calls the NMCA the oldest and most recognized domestic vehicle drag racing series in America. NMCA racers compete for the largest all-cash contingency program available in domestic street-legal drag racing, featuring payouts totaling more than $3.5 million.

The 2017 NMCA season began March 9 when Muscle Car Mayhem took over the Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Fla. and runs through Sept. 21-24 with the World Street finals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.

Mickey Thompson will support Mr. Deegan for the fifth straight year as he chases the LOORS Pro 2 class championship in his two-wheel drive, 700-900 horsepower Ford F150 race truck. Built on a standardized chassis, Mr. Deegan's race truck runs Mickey Thompson Baja Pro tires,

Mr. Deegan is a two-time LOORRS Pro 2 champion, having won in 2011 and 2012.

Mickey Thompson also markets lines of Deegan-branded tires and wheels.