IRL: Mexmil renews with Dick Simon Racing; Gregoire to return

HAMPTON, Ga., Friday, July 14, 2000 - The Mexmil Company renewed its primary sponsorship of Dick Simon Racing through the 2003 Indy Racing Northern Light Series season, company and team officials announced today. Team officials also announced that driver Stephan Gregoire has been re-signed with the team through the 2001 season. The team also has been renamed Team Mexmil/Dick Simon Racing. Mexmil and Gregoire joined Dick Simon Racing in 1999. Gregoire’s best finish with the team is fourth in June 1999 at Texas Motor Speedway. “I am so proud of having The Mexmil Company supporting our race team for the next three years” team owner Dick Simon said. “Mexmil has been our primary sponsor since 1999, and renewing with our team shows their determination to succeed with the same group of people. In this sport, continuity always pays off, and I am sure that our first win is around the corner. “I am so pleased to have Stephan Gregoire driving for Team Mexmil again next year. Stephan and I have been improving our communication race after race, and we are now expecting to enjoy the fruits of our labor in the past two seasons. Stephan is one of the three most experienced Indy Racing drivers, and I believe he is a championship contender for the 2001 Indy Racing Northern Light Series.” Said Mark Molus, president of The Mexmil Company: “We are very proud to sponsor Dick Simon’s team and Stephan Gregoire. We have been involved in the league since 1998 and are very excited about the new schedule and all the new improvements that Tony George and his marketing executives recently announced. “The Indy Racing Northern Light Series is also a great testing ground for our company that produces insulation systems. Over the last two years, we have been working and developing a wide variety of products, including our popular heat shield products, and today most of the Northern Light Series teams use our products in their cars. Thanks to our experience acquired with Dick Simon Racing, The Mexmil Company has also been able to enter the world of NASCAR, CART and other racing series, and supply heat shields and various products for these categories. “The Indy Racing Northern Light Series is also a great series to entertain our customers. For example, Atlanta is one of our largest markets, and this weekend we will entertain more than 100 guests. We are also very proud to be working with Stephan Gregoire. Stephan and The Mexmil Company have a very good relationship, and our 2,000 proud Mexmil employees are behind him 100 percent, and all believe that our first Indy win is coming soon.” The Mexmil Company, a privately owned organization founded in 1978, has its corporate offices in Santa Ana, Calif. The company is the world’s largest manufacturer of insulation systems, supplying major OEMs in the commercial aircraft industry in the United States. In 1998, Mexmil introduced its first product designed for the automotive racing industry. The company’s Mexmil Racing Division now manufactures a complete range of thermal, acoustic and liquid absorption products for open-wheeled, sports, off-road and sedan racing automobiles. Mexmil engineers have taken aerospace insulation materials used in the manufacturing of modern-day commercial, military and private jet aircraft to produce a range of products for the auto racing industry. These components effectively control and reduce air temperatures around the fuel-injection system, engine compartment, exhausts and shock absorbers at racing speeds.

-IRNLS/IMS-