RCR, GM Goodwrench celebrate anniversary

GM Goodwrench Kicks off 20th Anniversary Celebration at Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, FLA. (February 16, 2005) -- GM Goodwrench, a division of General Motors Service and Parts Operations (GMSPO), has announced plans for their 20th anniversary celebration of NASCAR sponsorship with Richard Childress Racing in 2005.

"On behalf of our over 7,000 GM Goodwrench dealers across the country, we are very excited to be celebrating 20 years with RCR in NASCAR," stated Beth Grotz, Marketing Director with GMSPO. "This is going to be a great opportunity for us to highlight the GM Goodwrench legacy and our relationship with RCR through a number of activities. It's our way of saying thanks to not only our dealers, but the huge audience of GM Goodwrench race fans."

The celebration kicks off in Sunday's Daytona 500 with the first of four special paint schemes. Announced last year at Kansas Speedway, GM Goodwrench driver Kevin Harvick will pilot a multi-colored No. 29 Monte Carlo that combines the different looks the longest running primary sponsor has been a part of over the past two decades.

Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, a track that holds many memories for the GM Goodwrench family, will see the next special paint scheme in March. Unveiled earlier this year at Childress' new winery in Welcome, N.C., this 2005 Chevrolet commemorates Harvick's first Cup win in Atlanta in 2001, one that will surely resurrect emotions of that day.

Two events will coincide with the May race weekends at Lowe's Motor Speedway. First, fans watching the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge will see a recreation of one of the first special paint schemes when the No. 29 GM Goodwrench Silver Select Chevrolet hits the 1.5-mile high-banks. That next week, GM Goodwrench and RCR will host a Family Reunion at the RCR Museum, bringing together faces from the past and present that have helped keep the GM Goodwrench/RCR bond so strong.

A fourth and final paint scheme, unveiled today at Daytona International Speedway along with the Silver Select Chevrolet, will run at Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway in August. Both Harvick and Dale Earnhardt enjoyed emotional Brickyard 400 victories with the RCR organization, so the hood of this No. 29 Chevrolet Monte Carlo will be decked with trophies commemorating those dates and achievements.

"I would like to congratulate and thank GM Goodwrench for their dedication to RCR," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "They have played a vital part in making RCR what it is today. The success we've achieved over the past 19 years has created a situation where you really can't think of one without thinking of the other.

"All these special paint schemes take me back to some wonderful moments during our 20-year partnership. They're going to be a lot of fun to relive and I'm looking forward to it."

GM Goodwrench first officially shared room on the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet with Earnhardt as an associate sponsor at RCR in May of 1985. Two-and-a-half years later they took over the primary sponsorship role on the No. 3 and remained on the hood until Earnhardt's passing in February of 2001. The next race at North Carolina Speedway, Harvick was given the honors to take over the coveted GM Goodwrench ride with a brand new No. 29 on the side and it's been that way ever since.

As a sponsor, GM Goodwrench has enjoyed unparalleled success during its relationship with RCR, accumulating six NASCAR Winston Cup Series championships, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, 68 race wins, the biggest Daytona 500 victory in the modern era, and two stunning Brickyard 400 wins.

"It's pretty special that GM Goodwrench has been with RCR for so long," said Harvick, who is also the owner of the No. 6 GM Goodwrench NASCAR Truck Series entry. "They have been a big part of RCR, and their continued support shows their belief in me as a driver, as well as their belief in Kevin Harvick Inc. It's good to know that we have such big backing from a solid company. I'm excited to help them celebrate this anniversary and look forward to driving the four special paint schemes that have meant so much to so many people."

Famed NASCAR illustrator Sam Bass is the creator of all four of the unique paint schemes that will help GM Goodwrench celebrate their 20-year partnership with RCR.

"It's an honor to be able to create these unique paint schemes for such a big occasion," said Bass, who also created GM Goodwrench's 20th anniversary logo. "All of these paint schemes were pretty easy to come up with, especially with the significance of what was going on during those times. I really appreciate GM Goodwrench and RCR allowing me to be a part of so much in their partnership, and I hope this helps to show their dedication to one another."

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