IRL forge promotional partnership with Raybestos Brand Brakes

Indy Racing League officials today announced a two-year promotional partnership with the Affinia Under Vehicle Group, manufacturers of Raybestos brand brakes. The partnership designates Raybestos as the preferred competition brake friction of the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights at all road and street course races through 2009. The announcement renews a relationship between Raybestos brand brakes and IndyCar racing that dates back decades.

As part of the partnership, Raybestos will become the preferred brake friction run by every IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights team for every road and street course race on the schedule. The Raybestos Road and Street Course Challenge will award a cash payout to all street or road course race winners throughout the season provided he or she used Raybestos brakes. The payout will be $5,000 per race in the IndyCar Series and $2,500 per race in Firestone Indy Lights. In addition to these individual race incentives, Raybestos brand brakes will award $25,000 to the IndyCar Series driver who achieves the best average finishing position across all 2008 road/street course events. The season-long Firestone Indy Lights award is $10,000.

In addition to its support of the series and its teams with ongoing technical assistance and development, there are plans to showcase the new IndyCar Series relationship, competition imagery, and the league’s premiere drivers in Raybestos® brand advertising, consumer promotions, and point-of-sale marketing materials.

TERRY ANGSTADT (President, Commercial Division, Indy Racing League): “The IndyCar Series is always looking to associate itself with respected brands that have earned the trust of the American consumer. Raybestos is one of those brands. Not only are they a great fit to help us promote the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights, but we’ll also be able to count on quality brakes for our race cars to help maintain our high safety standards."

JOSH RUSSELL (Vice President of Marketing, Affinia Under Vehicle Group): “We are thrilled to announce the return of Raybestos brakes to the highest levels of competition in open wheel racing. Raybestos has an extraordinary legacy in motorsports, and a history of continuous technical development of its products through firsthand experience on both proving grounds and the world’s most demanding racetracks.

“It will be exciting to have Raybestos once again exceeding the braking needs of the world’s most demanding open wheel teams and drivers," Russell continued.