Sponsors Archives – Horsepower & Heels

Melling Performance joins Erica Enders

July 7, 2017 // by Horsepower & Heels

Melling Performance, a longtime associate sponsor of Elite Motorsports and two-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders, signed on to become title sponsor of the 22-time national event winner for five national events, beginning with the 20th annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago and continuing through the 63rd annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indy.

Everyone at Melling Performance is excited about our association with Erica and Elite Motorsports,” Melling Performance CEO Mark Melling said. “After being at the races, I thought it would be great to see the Melling Performance Decal on the doors of Erica’s RED #9 racecar. It reminds me of the Bill Elliott days in NASCAR. Melling has been launching a ton of new performance engine parts, and we are pumped to see our logo on the side of her RED Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro!”

The Melling Performance brand and logo will adorn the doors of Erica Enders’ racecar at the upcoming NHRA national events in Chicago, Denver, Sonoma, Seattle and Indianapolis.

“Looking over the landscape of Pro Stock, it’s really quite an accomplishment to bring a company the size and caliber of Melling into a title sponsorship role,” team owner Richard Freeman said. “It reflects well on the entire class, the NHRA and our friends at FOX as well. Exposure for our sport and more importantly our sponsors is growing and that’s important to the long-term economic vitality of our race team.”

Enders has established herself as one of the top female racers in history. Only Erica Enders, Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey have won world championships in any of the top forms of motorsports and her two championships, 22 national event wins, 18 No. 1 qualifiers and admirable 242-161 race day record mark her career in elite company.

I’m so excited to have Melling Performance step up like this,” Enders said. “We recently toured their facility and I was completely blown away. They aren’t state-of-the-art, they are way beyond that. It is like something out of the future. I was so impressed with everything they showed us. We’ve become friends with everyone at Melling and they have definitely become part of the Elite family over the past few years. I can’t wait to drive this Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro into the winner’s circle this weekend.”

Melling Performance is a leading manufacturer of oil pumps and other power train components. Serving the global automotive original equipment and aftermarket industries, Melling is noted for its strong engineering, product development and distribution capabilities. Melling Performance operates 10 facilities in North America.

Megan Meyer and Clevite Announce Partnership

February 15, 2017 // by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA Drag Racing Top Alcohol Dragster driver Megan Meyer and Clevite have just announced a new associate sponsor partnership for the 2017 TAD season. MAHLE Motorsports owned, Clevite® Engine Products has been a contingency sponsor of Randy Meyer Racing for over a decade, onboard the team’s many championship-winning vehicles, but has stepped up to support Meyer in her sophomore season of LODRS Top Alcohol Dragster competition.

Meyer has been working hard during the off season to build existing partnerships and promote new ones. Clevite stepping up to an Associate Partnership with the Randy Meyer Racing team allows them to showcase their exceptional promotional and media capabilities provided to their partners on a much larger scale.

Megan Meyer’s A/Fuel Dragster and the other Randy Meyer Racing vehicles have trusted Clevite rings and bearings in their engine program, depending on the quality and precision of Clevite Engine Products in their high horsepower dragsters.

They are increasing their media and promo efforts and believe we are the best fit to help them out. We have used their bearings and rings for years and are very happy with the performance of their products.” — Megan Meyer

MAHLE is a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry. With its products for combustion engines and their peripherals as well as solutions for electric vehicles, the group addresses all the crucial issues related to the powertrain and air conditioning technology—from engine systems and components to filtration to thermal management. In 2015, the group generated sales of approximately EUR 11.5 billion with around 76,000 employees and is represented in 34 countries with over 170 production locations.

“MAHLE has a long tradition in motorsports including Clevite, the most recognized brand engine in the world,” says Bill McKnight, Marketing Team Lead for MAHLE Aftermarket Inc. “We have the opportunity to support racers from time to time and choose to support both those with long careers as well as what we feel are the best and brightest young people in motorsports. Megan Meyer is a great example of the latter. She’s smart, articulate, engaged and professional. With a large fan base, great driving skills and a solid work ethic, how could we ask for more!”

The 2017 season begins at the NHRA Gatornationals event in March for Megan Meyer and will be her first race of the year with new associate affiliation with Clevite.

Motorsports Marketing Seminar – Promoting You and Your Race Team

January 17, 2017 // by Horsepower & Heels

Needing some pointers on how to help accelerate your brand and race team promotional efforts for the upcoming season?

Car Chix Founder & President, Jeanette DesJardins will be presenting the Motorsports Marketing Seminar – Promoting You and Your Race Team during the 10th annual Race and Performance Expo on Saturday, February 25th, 2017. The Digital Marketing Expert will lead an information-rich seminar on maximizing marketing efforts for your race team, avoiding common mistakes in the digital landscape and actionable tips and techniques to use in your 2017 motorsport marketing plan.

The Motorsport Marketing seminar will include pertinent information on the use of Social Media, the importance of professional press releases, best practices for crafting successful sponsorship proposals, and the necessary off-track work involved for generating team success on and off the track surface.

Moderator Jeanette DesJardins is the founder and president of popular women in motorsports trademark and website CarChix.com; as well as the founder and president of Crank It Media, an internet marketing company specializing in the motorsports, automotive, industrial and entertainment industries. DesJardins recently was a featured panelist during the ‘Women in Motorsports’ Seminar at the industry-staple 2016 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show in Indianapolis, IN. She has earned accolades for Outstanding Leadership in Women’s Motorsports by Memphis International Raceway, and the President’s Award from Cordova International Raceway for her contributions to the sport and advancing women in automotive.

Motorsports Marketing Seminar – Promoting You and Your Race Team

Date: Saturday, February 25th
Time: 3:15pm – 3:55pm
Location: Prosperity Room, Renaissance Convention Center

The Race and Performance Expo takes place at the Schaumburg Renaissance Center February 25th -26th in Schaumburg, Illinois and is open to the public. The Motorsport Marketing Seminar will be held Saturday afternoon, from 3:15pm-3:55pm in the Prosperity Room. All expo seminars are free of charge to expo attendees.

Mark your calendars for this informative event. – Click to RSVP to the Motorsports Marketing Seminar

Meyer welcomes back Aeroquip for 2017

January 17, 2017 // by Horsepower & Heels

Horsepower & Heels Rookie of the Year winner and NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver, Megan Meyer, just announced a new partnership with Eaton owned, Aeroquip Performance Products.

The Randy Meyer Racing team has been using Eaton and Aeroquip products for decades, in many of their championship runs in the sport. They are proud to announce a return partnership with the hydraulics specialty company for their 2017 season. Megan and the rest of the Randy Meyer Racing team will represent the Aeroquip brand as an official team marketing partner on their full tour with the NHRA LODRS Regional and National Top Alcohol Dragster series.

Randy Meyer Racing in action with Aeroquip circa 2011.

No stranger to Megan and her drag racing career, Aeroquip has been on-board to help Megan Meyer previously, partnering with her during her Junior Dragster racing days, and during her time in the Super Comp class. Their return to the Randy Meyer Racing team for 2017 will be their first affiliation since Megan’s jump to the Top Alcohol Dragster category in 2016. Megan’s rookie season in her A/Fuel Dragster proved very successful and showed tons of promise for the young driver, and Aeroquip is now on-board for her sophomore journey in the class.

All of us at Randy Meyer Racing are thrilled to have Eaton and Aeroquip back on board. We have proudly used their products for decades, and hope to win another World Championship with the Aeroquip brand.” – Megan Meyer

In operation for over 65 years, Eaton’s Aeroquip® name represents quality and innovation in the hydraulics industry. Eaton offers Aeroquip hose, fittings, adapters, couplings and fluid connectors for all pressures in industrial, aerospace and automotive applications.

Meyer will begin her 2017 season at the NHRA Gatornationals event in Gainesville, FL on March 16-19th. Her tentative schedule includes 10 national event appearances and 7 regional event appearances alongside team drivers Justin Ashley and sister, Rachel Meyer.

Women of Search for a Champion 2017 – Round 1

January 9, 2017 // by Horsepower & Heels

The 6th annual Search for a Champion contest held by Champion gives racers a chance to compete in two divisions: On Track for a $25,000 grand prize and Off Track for a $50,000 grand prize. The first round of voting will determine the 25 racers in each division that will compete for the grand prize.

Women Racers | Search for a Champion

It is always great to see the growing number of women that join the ranks to compete for the prize to aid in their racing careers. There are an impressive 44 women entered in the Search for a Champion contest. Voting for round one ends February 2, 2017.

You can vote once per day per email address for each category and each vote enters you to win exclusive Champion apparel.

To help support women in motorsports, vote for any of the ladies below:

On the Track | Women of ‘Search for a Champion’

Carly Jo Ellingson | 2015 Grand Prize Winner

In 2015, young upstart Carly Jo Ellingson received a huge career push, winning the 2015 Search for a Champion Grand Prize. In 2016, Audrie Ruark, Macy Dowell, Riley Gonzalez, Amanda Hagerl, Reanna Walton, Faith Schuch, and Tammy Wolf were also female finalists for Team Champion.

Vote for the Women of Search for a Champion

An opportunity like this can be career-changing for women in motorsports. Help support women racing by placing your vote for one of the candidates above. Who will you place YOUR vote for? Comment below and let us know who you think should be the next Champion.

Are you one of the nominated contestants? Let our readers know in the comments why they should vote for YOU to be the next Champion winner!

2017 Search for a Champion Contest

December 27, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

The 2017 Search for a Champion Contest has begun. This annual sponsorship contest hosted by spark plug manufacturer, Champion, features On Track and Off Track sponsorships based on judging and a fan vote period. The popular contest has helped boost the careers of many racers, including many women in the sport.

Entering the 2017 Search for a Champion Contest

Contestants register on the Search for a Champion contest site, submitting a short video, photos, and a short essay on why they feel they should be the next “Search for a Champion” winner. The entry period began in early November, but submissions are accepted through January 3, 2017 at 11:59PM ET.

Once the submission/entries close, first round of voting begins on January 5th and runs through February 2nd to narrow down the field to the finalists. The second round of voting determining the winner will then take place February 23rd through March 23rd, with the winners selected at that time.

Prizes – 2017 Search for a Champion Contest

The sponsorship contests will award two Grand Prize winners (one from each category) a $50,000 sponsorship for the 2017 season as the 2017 Search for a Champion winners. Twenty-five First Runner-Up Finalists will receive a $500 Champion sponsorship. Twenty-five finalists will also receive a $100 Champion sponsorship as well.

Past Search for a Champion Winners

Several women in motorsports have participated in the Search for a Champion program. NHRA Drag Racer, Carly-Jo Ellingson was the 2015 Search for the Champion Grand Prize Winner. Her life and racing career changed dramatically from the experience of being part of Team Champion, and she is still thriving in her career.

Champion has given me the means that are necessary to climb through the ranks of nhra drag racing, one step at a time! I’ve since become a very well-known face in drag racing these days, which has helped me to promote my operation and take on a whole new world of competition! My team and I have been able to travel more in the past two years than we probably ever could have, and that was all thanks to Search for A Champion. Additionally, if I hadn’t won the grand prize in 2015, we probably couldn’t have made all the repairs and improvements on the car that had to be made in the past two seasons. What’s more, Champion has helped me become better known in the racing community as a strong, talented racer.

Courtney Force teams with Advance Auto for 2017

December 14, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force teams with Advance Auto for 2017 season, unveils new black and red Advance Auto livery.

John Force Racing and Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America, serving both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers, announced major primary sponsorship of Courtney Force’s Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for the 2017 season. This multi-year sponsorship will begin with the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season opener, the Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, and cover the winningest female Funny Car driver in NHRA history throughout the season.

“I am thrilled to be driving the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car starting in 2017. Last season, we made some big strides toward our first championship and I am very confident in my team led by my crew chiefs, Dan Hood and Ronnie Thompson, and that next season can be even better. I love the look of this red, yellow and black Camaro and I can’t wait to get it into the winner’s circle,” said Courtney Force.

Last year, Advance Auto Parts made a series of limited appearances onboard John Force’s PEAK Camaro Funny Car at select events, including a trip to the winner’s circle at the NHRA Carolina Nationals to start the 2016 Countdown. The relationship has expanded to encompass Courtney Force’s Funny Car team through this multi-year sponsorship.

“This is a real business-to-business deal for John Force Racing. We expanded our relationship with PEAK at the beginning of last season and we ran the Advance Auto Parts Funny Car a couple times,” said John Force, JFR CEO and 16-time Funny Car champion. “The opportunity came to grow the deal and they were interested in Courtney so it was a perfect match. We are excited to work with Sponsorship Integrated Manager Matt Davis and his team at Advance to help them grow their business across all their stores. I have done shows with Advance Auto Parts in the past and am looking forward to working with them again.”

Advance Auto Parts has been actively involved in motorsports through the NHRA, NASCAR and other motorsports series important to its customers.

“We are proud to be partnering with Courtney Force and the John Force Racing team for the 2017 season and beyond,” said Walter Scott, Chief Marketing Officer for Advance Auto Parts. “After working with John and the team last year through our partnership with PEAK, we got to know Courtney and felt she would be a great ambassador for our company. Our team members and customers love NHRA drag racing and we can’t wait to see the Advance Auto Parts Funny Car on the track in 2017.”

Desert Storage sponsors land speed racer Valerie Thompson

September 26, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

Desert Storage is the newest sponsor to announce support for Arizona resident and seven-time land speed record holder, Valerie Thompson.

Redefining the self-storage business category with a variety of solutions for customers facing the challenge of moving and downsizing, Desert Storage provides air conditioned drive-in storage access, covered outdoor facilities for RV’s/boats/automobiles, wine storage, mailbox rentals and document shredding in a safe and secure environment. A locally owned business headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, Desert Storage owns and operates 16 storage centers in Arizona and Nevada.

“When I needed a secure storage facility to keep our motor coach in Scottsdale, Desert Storage was an easy choice. They offer the widest variety of services at the best price,” said Thompson. “Scott Brawn and his staff at Desert Storage are very professional and attentive. They are my last stop after every race since they provide a well-lit cleaning/sanitary dump station and covered parking for our motor coach and motorcycle hauler. I never have to worry about security or access. They really take the hassle out of storing our most critical equipment,” added Thompson.

Thompson is an independent team owner/driver, fielding a record setting BMW S 1000 RR land speed racing motorcycle with plans to compete in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class in 2017. In addition to 7-land speed records, she is a lifetime member of six-land speed racing 200 MPH Clubs, including the prestigious Bonneville 200 MPH Club and first female member of the Colorado Mile. She earned the title of world’s fastest female motorcycle racer with an average one measured mile speed of 304.263 mph and exit speed of 313 mph at the 2016 Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials.

Anosh Vasani, Director of Marketing for Desert Storage, says, “We are really excited to support Valerie in her endeavors. She is a great athlete and we look forward to her breaking even more records.”

Papa John’s Pizza joined Leah Pritchett

August 8, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

The Top Fuel class just got a little more appetizing. National pizza franchise, Papa John’s Pizza joined Leah Pritchett and her Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel dragster team at this weekend’s NHRA national event in Seattle, Wash. and will continue on with them on board at the upcoming race in Brainerd, Minn.

Papa John’s Pizza joined Leah Pritchett at the 29th Annual Protect the Harvest NHRA Nationals in Kent, Wash., ranked 10th in championship points in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. She won this year’s second event title near Phoenix. Pritchett would qualify in the No. 8 position for the event, pairing her first round against Morgan Lucas for Sunday’s opening round of eliminations.

Career-best E.T. leads to first round loss

Sunday morning’s routine for the popular 28-year-old driver from Redlands, Calif., who lives near Indianapolis, was disrupted by a rushed early call for prerace driver introductions. Race officials pushed the morning schedule ahead in an attempt to beat pending precipitation arriving before scheduled opening rounds of eliminations at Pacific Raceways.

The rain did come, and after about 90 minutes, the sky cleared and track was dried to set the stage for Leah Pritchett to race Morgan Lucas. As the higher qualified dragster, her crew chief, Todd Okuhara, had choice of lanes.

Pritchett beat Lucas to the finish line with her career-best elapsed time of 3.707 seconds at 325.30, but her day unfortunately ended before that when she was disqualified for leaving the starting line prematurely by 33-thousandths of a second and recorded a redlight (false) start.

“It’s going to take a lot more than that to break my spirit,” she said. “We win as a team and lose as a team. My guys have my back and I always have theirs. The plan today was to leave (the starting line) first and we definitely did that,” she joked. “I know I’m a better driver than that. That (3.70) was the best E.T. of my career, and we have a great car.”

It was her first red-light start in a side-by-side race in four years of driving a Top Fuel dragster.

One bright spot for her on the cloudy day was that she maintained her hold on 10th place in the Top Fuel standings when her closest challenger, Terry McMillen, also lost in the opening round. Pritchett, who won this year’s second event title in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, holds a 19-point lead over McMillen heading into the next event in two weeks at Brainerd, Minn.

“We get to race at Brainerd with Papa John’s, and we continue our chase to get into the Countdown thanks to Papa John’s, FireAde, Mopar and Pennzoil. Stability is something I’ve been hunting for for a very long time, and Don Schumacher has been able to provide that with our partners.”

Papa John’s founder, chairman and chief executive officer, John Schnatter, visited DSR headquarters a few weeks ago and got his first experience with nitro when DSR fired up Pritchett’s dragster.

“This means so much to me, our team and the sport of NHRA drag racing,” said the graduate of Cal State San Bernardino. “We are huge fans of Papa John’s Pizza and are confident it will help fuel us to victory,” added Pritchett. “My dream is one day to walk into a location and order a ‘Leah’s Nitro Pizza’ on the Papa John’s menu. One requirement – it has to be spicy!”

Schnatter founded Papa John’s in 1984 when he knocked down a wall to a broom closet in his father’s tavern in Jeffersonville, Ind.. He then sold his prized 1972 Z28 Camaro to purchase $1,600 worth of used pizza equipment and began selling pizzas to the tavern’s customers out of the converted closet to help save the business. Today, Papa John’sis the world’s third largest pizza delivery company with over 4,900locations in 50 states and 40 countries and territories.

“I am excited to add another quality ingredient to our Papa John’s team with our sponsorship of Don Schumacher Racing and Leah Pritchett,” said “Papa John” Schnatter. “Leah’s passion for racing is like my passion for pizzamaking; always looking for ways to improve and get better.”

Pritchett’s dragster is a salute to his iconic, gold muscle car that he reacquired and owns today.

Parise joins forces with Aerospace Components

June 15, 2016 // by Horsepower & Heels

Ladies supporting and working together is one of the most key elements of success for women’s advancement in automotive and motorsports. Recently, two very important women in drag racing have joined forces to align and support one another in the racing industry.

2015 IHRA Crower Pro Modified reigning World Champion, Dina Parise and Aerospace Component’s President, Kim Kussy have just announced a very special mutual partnership for the duration of the 2016 season. Parise joins forces with Aerospace Components on her award-winning Cadillac CTS-V Pro Modified, nicknamed “Stella”.

When Kim (Kussy) and I first met, we hit it off. Two hard working women in this amazing industry both loving every minute of it. What’s not to like, right?”, said Parise of her first meeting with Aerospace Component’s President, CMO and co-founder, Kim Kussy.

With the Dina Parise Racing team’s longstanding history of advocating and supporting our nation’s veteran population and active military, the two ladies shared a mutual passion for our United States Armed Forces. Aerospace Components began as a MIL-Spec certified contractor for government projects, and is proud to employ many veterans in their facility. Parise has campaigned several tribute racecars that help honor and celebrate the sacrifices made by our service men and women. They participate in many events in support of veterans – both publically and privately.

I have always said it’s not about getting to the stripe first,” Parise says. “But the journey you take to get there”.

Since their military roots, Aerospace Components has involved to become a very active supporter of the Drag Racing industry. They are a contingency supporter of the National Mustang Racer’s Association and the National Muscle Car Association, rewarding racers in contingency awards on 5 products (Brakes – Front and Rear); Vacuum Pump, Water Pump, Fuel Pump and Shifter) in all classes and series with Promedia for the past five years. They also sponsor the Aerospace Winner’s Circle for all the Promedia series and events. In addition, Kim works closely with the NHRA to award a very special “ Aerospace Component’s “Excellence in Engineering” Wally award at select national events.

Both Dina and Kim have built a very dedicated and engaged community of fans and customers through their social media outreach efforts, sharing success of their peers and customers.

Dina interacts regularly with fans through special live videos of her time on the road with the rest of the Dina Parise Racing team and other special messages, often touching on important topics she feels passionate about. Kim hosts a video series entitled “Kimmy’s Garage” that teaches and educates consumers about their products, how they are made and installation instructions.

The female racing powerhouse partnership between DPR and Aerospace Components is an exciting new development that both are looking forward to showcasing to the industry. Aerospace Components joins other key supporters of DPR in Eastwood, CRC Auto, NGK, Lucas Oil, Speedwire Systems, Hussey Performance, Hoosier, Motorsports Unlimited and Crank It Media.