There will not be just one IRWIN Industrial Tools driver at Martinsville Speedway this weekend, but two. Roush Fenway Racing driver, Jamie McMurray, who will pilot the No. 26 IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford Fusion at Martinsville this weekend, will be joined by his Australian counterpart, Marcus Marshall. Marshall drives the No. 26 IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford Falcon in the V8 Supercars Series in Australia.
The two IRWIN Industrial Tools drivers have a lot more in common than what they may think. The pair are both sponsored by IRWIN Industrial Tools, both pilot the No. 26, both drive for Ford Racing, and both won Rookie of the Year in their respective series in 2003. Marshall won 2003 Rookie of the Year in the Australian Carrera Cup Championship, while McMurray was honored with the 2003 Sprint Cup Series award. This weekend, the two will get a chance to compare notes.
Both McMurray and Marshall will help promote IRWIN Industrial Tools “Ultimate Tradesman Challenge” which has gone international in 2008. This year, participants from the United States, as well as Australia and New Zealand will compete for a chance to win $1.26 million dollars and a Roush Performance Ford F-150 truck. More information on the challenge can be found at www.irwinchallenge.com.
The No. 4 Open Joist Dodge truck should have a familiar ring to it. The Grand Rapids-based Universal Forest Products, Inc., has renewed its marketing alliance with Bobby Hamilton Racing (BHR) this season, and it will be promoting its Open Joist product on the truck. Open Joist is a versatile, open-web, all-wood floor truss. Universal broke into Craftsman Trucks last year with BHR, which lost its founder, Bobby Hamilton Sr., in January of 2007 to cancer. The team drove on despite losing Hamilton, who won the 2004 championship. Last year proved to be a transitional season in which a handful of drivers took turns racing the Open Joist truck, but things are looking up in 2008.
Stacy Compton has been hired to race the Open Joist Dodge full-time, and after clocking in fifth fastest last weekend in a Daytona test session, he said he is confident 2008 will be a competitive one for him and his team.
Universal was founded in 1955 and now has over 100 facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will be investing in other racing marketing opportunities, too.
"The exposure we have received for the Open Joist brand with this investment is something we would never get in other mediums if we spent the same amount of money," said Larry Kroh, the Open Joist sales manager. "Renewel is the key to keeping this credibility going. We have the opportunity to build brand recognition even more."
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