Air Wick to sponsor Franchitti

Target Chip Ganassi Racing announced today that AIR WICK® will serve as the primary sponsor of it’s No.10 Honda Dallara for 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti at the IndyCar Series season opener, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (April 5, 2pm ET, VERSUS).

NOTES OF INTEREST:

Dario by the Numbers: After transitioning to the team’s NASCAR program in 2008, Franchitti returns to open wheel racing in 2009. Franchitti posted four wins, four pole positions in 2007 en route to his first IndyCar Series championship. 2009 will be his first IndyCar season with Target Chip Ganassi Racing. He has over 180 starts under his belt between the CART and IndyCar Series resulting in 18 wins, 17 poles, 95 top-10 finishes (1997-2007). He is the winningest driver in U.S. open-wheel history from Great Britain.

AIR WICK® Part of Auto Racing History: When the green flag drops at St. Petersburg, Scott Dixon, the reigning IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 Champion and Dario Franchitti, the 2007 IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 Champion will make racing history. Chip Ganassi Racing will be the first organization in major auto racing history to team drivers who have won both its sanctioning body’s Driver Championship (IndyCar Series) and its marquee event (Indianapolis 500) the previous two seasons. Dating back to the first American Automobile Association-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 in 1911, the FIA-sanctioned Monaco Grand Prix in 1950 and the NASCAR-sanctioned Daytona 500 in 1959, no team has ever paired the previous two winners of the sport’s Driver Championship, and it’s respective Crown Jewel event, together on the same team.

QUOTEBOARD:

Donna McGonigal: Marketing Director, AIR WICK®

“We’re excited to continue into the 2009 racing season as a proud sponsorr of Target Chip Ganassi Racing. gives us a wonderful opportunity to educate consumers about how Air Wick gives them the assurance that their home always smells good and is something they can have pride in."

Dario Franchitti: Driver, No. 10 AIR WICK® Honda Dallara

“Driving the AIR WICK® car to start the IndyCar Series season couldn’t be more fitting for me…their tagline ‘It’s good to be home’ pretty much sums up my thoughts on this race to start the year after racing in NASCAR in 2008. I’ve said many times that part of the IndyCar Series’ allure is in the diversity of its tracks, and I’m a huge fan of the street circuits. What a great way to continue my Indy car career with AIR WICK® on board on the streets of St. Petersburg.

“I’ve also put in a special request for the AIR WICK® FRESHMATIC® Ultra for our team transporters for the rest of the season. Believe me, with over 30 guys working in and out of these trucks every weekend, the automatic spray's time-released fragrance will be a much welcomed addition for everyone."