ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT RENEWS ROSSI WITH HONDA, NAPA AUTO PARTS AND AUTONATION SUPPORT
·
Andretti Autosport retains Alexander Rossi on
multi-year agreement
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NAPA AUTO PARTS and AutoNation to serve as co-primary
sponsors of Rossi’s No. 27 entry
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Andretti Autosport IndyCar effort to remain
Honda-powered via multi-year extension
LEXINGTON, OHIO — Alexander Rossi will continue to call Andretti Autosport home after
extending his tenure with the team on a multi-year agreement. The championship
contender will return in 2020 and beyond to pilot the No. 27 Honda, with
primary sponsorship divided between long-time team partners NAPA AUTO PARTS and
AutoNation.
“We’ve been working hard on this, and I’m
happy to see everything come together,” said Andretti Autosport Chairman and
CEO, Michael Andretti. “Since 2016, we’ve built a strong relationship with NAPA
AUTO PARTS – they’re such a natural fit for the series, Alexander and for the
team and we’re pleased to be able to continue working with them into 2020 and
beyond. We first met AutoNation through Ryan Hunter-Reay – and we can’t thank
Ryan enough for his support and efforts in helping the continued growth of that
relationship. It’s been exciting to see AutoNation grow within the sport, and
to see them now welcome Alexander to their family is just great.”
NAPA AUTO PARTS first appeared as a partner
with the Andretti Autosport team in 2016 for the 100th Running of the
Indianapolis 500 where Rossi drove his NAPA Racing machine to victory lane. Headquartered
in Atlanta, NAPA AUTO PARTS will paint the No. 27 racing machine at nine races,
including the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 and for the championship
run up to the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
“We are pleased to announce our extension
with Andretti Autosport and Alexander Rossi,” stated Gaylord Spencer, NAPA
Senior Vice President – Marketing. “Since our initial partnership back in May
of 2016, when NAPA was fortunate enough to ride along to a historic win at the
100th Running of the Indy 500, the team at Andretti Autosport and Alexander
have continued to represent us well both on and off the track. Alexander brings
a unique style to IndyCar that resonates well with many loyal fans of Indy car
racing. NAPA is honored to play a small part in keeping this winning
combination together for many years to come.”
AutoNation, America’s largest automotive
retailer, has been a long-time partner with the championship winning team
providing associate support for Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti and made
their IndyCar Series primary sponsorship debut at the 2017 Indianapolis 500. The
past two seasons, AutoNation’s DRVPNK campaign decorated Marco Andretti’s race
car for the doubleheader event in Detroit. The NTT IndyCar Series circuit will
see an AutoNation livery featured at seven events including the Firestone Grand
Prix of St. Petersburg and the INDYCAR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway, as well as the Detroit Grand Prix.
“Alexander is a
great addition to the AutoNation Team,” said Marc Cannon, Executive Vice President
and Chief Marketing Officer for AutoNation. “We look forward to a very
successful run for the No. 27 AutoNation / NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda. AutoNation
continues to partner with great drivers and co-sponsors; 2020 is going to be a
memorable IndyCar season.”
Rossi boasts a total of seven wins (Indianapolis
’16, Watkins Glen ‘17, Long Beach ’18, Mid-Ohio ’18, Pocono ’18, Long Beach
’19, Road America ’19) and 18 podiums in just 62 starts. Finishing second in
the 2018 championship, Rossi currently sits second in the championship, 29
points from the lead with five races remaining. The 2020 season will mark
Rossi’s fifth season in the NTT IndyCar Series, each with Andretti Autosport
and Honda.
“It feels good to continue with Andretti Autosport,”
said Rossi. “Over the past four years, we’ve built a very strong team with
great chemistry and I believe that we have the tools necessary to win races and
championships. I’m looking forward to not just calling this my team, but my
home in the IndyCar Series. Michael [Andretti], J-F [Thormann], Doug
[Bresnahan] and the entire team have been working very hard to put all the
pieces of this deal together and it’s definitely a relief to have the future
settled and be able to focus on the championship fight ahead of us.
“It’s fantastic to
have NAPA AUTO PARTS, AutoNation and Honda supporting the 27 program. I’ve had
the pleasure of developing a great relationship with both NAPA and Honda and
couldn’t imagine not having them in my corner. AutoNation has always had a
strong partnership with the team through Ryan [Hunter-Reay] and I’m looking
forward to the opportunity to represent the Drive Pink campaign and getting to
know the AutoNation team better.”
The Andretti Autosport team will also
continue to drive under Honda Power in 2020 as part of a multi-year extension.
Together, Andretti Autosport and Honda Performance Development have captured
three championships and five Indianapolis 500 wins. In addition, the team has
collected 55 Indy car wins with Honda power. In 2018, Honda won the NTT IndyCar
Series manufacturers championship with 11 wins in 17 races. Honda currently
leads Chevrolet in a tight battle for the 2019 championship – Honda with 976
points and Chevrolet with 930.
“We have a longstanding relationship of
success with Honda and we’re happy to continue to build accolades together”
continued Andretti. “All five of our Indy 500 wins have come under Honda power,
and I’m looking forward to working with the entire HPD team to add to that
count.”
“This is an important
moment for Honda Performance Development,” said Ted Klaus, President, Honda
Performance Development. “Andretti Autosport is unquestionably one of
the premier teams in the NTT IndyCar Series, and we are gratified to earn
their confidence for the foreseeable future. At HPD, our first goal every
season is winning the Indianapolis 500, and Andretti Autosport has won more
‘500s’ for Honda than any other team. That said, HPD is
fortunate to work with multiple high-caliber racing organizations. This commitment
from Andretti Autosport strengthens our entire effort, as we move into the next
era of Indy car competition.”
With only five races remaining in the NTT
IndyCar Series season, Rossi continues his quest to capture his first
championship at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend. NBC will cover
Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio live at 4 p.m. ET.
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About NAPA AUTO PARTS
NAPA (www.NAPAonline.com)
was founded in 1925 to meet America’s growing need for an auto parts
distribution system. Today NAPA has grown to more than 6,000 NAPA AUTO PARTS
stores, 57 distribution centers with more than 500,000 part numbers in
inventory and more than 17,000 NAPA AutoCare and AutoCare Collision Centers
nationwide.
About
AutoNation, Inc.
AutoNation, America’s largest automotive retailer, is transforming
the automotive industry through its bold leadership, innovation, and
comprehensive brand extensions. As of June 30, 2019, AutoNation owned and
operated over 325 locations from coast to coast. AutoNation has sold over 12
million vehicles, the first automotive retailer to reach this milestone.
AutoNation’s success is driven by a commitment to delivering a peerless
experience through customer-focused sales and service processes. Launched in
2015, AutoNation’s Drive Pink initiative, which has raised over $20 million, is
committed to drive out cancer, create awareness, and support critical research.
AutoNation continues to be a proud supporter of the Breast Cancer Research
Foundation and other cancer-related charities.
Please visit investors.autonation.com, www.autonation.com, www.autonationdrive.com, www.twitter.com/CEOCherylMiller, and www.twitter.com/AutoNation,
where AutoNation discloses additional information about the Company, its
business, and its results of operations.
About Honda Performance
Development
HPD was founded in 1993 to spearhead American
Honda’s entry into Indy car racing. No other manufacturer has
matched the company’s success in Indy cars, which includes 242 race victories
(through Iowa 2019), 16 drivers’ championships, seven competitive
manufacturers’ championships and 12 Indianapolis 500 victories since
2004.
For more information about HPD and the company’s
racing product lines, please visithttp://hpd.honda.com.
About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable,
fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies sold
through over 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes
the Fit, Civic, Insight, Accord and Clarity series passenger cars, along with
the HR-V, CR-V, Passport and Pilot sport utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup
and the Odyssey minivan. Honda has been producing automobiles in America for
more than 35 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in
North America. In 2018, more than 90 percent of all Honda brand vehicles sold
in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced
parts.
