Advance Auto to sponsor NHRA event at Heartland Park Topeka

ADVANCE AUTO TO SPONSOR NHRA EVENT AT HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA

GLENDORA, Calif. -- Advance Auto Parts has reached a multi-year agreement with the National Hot Rod Association to sponsor the NHRA national event at Heartland Park Topeka, NHRA President Dallas Gardner announced.

The 11th annual Advance Auto Parts Nationals is scheduled for Sept. 30 - Oct. 3 at Heartland Park Topeka. The race is the 18th of 22 events in the $40-million NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series in 1999.

"The Advance Auto Parts Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka provides us with an opportunity to expose our customers to some top-notch NHRA racing," said Wendy Delano, marketing director for Advance Auto Parts. "This type of sponsorship will help add another dimension to our motorsports marketing program and promises to be quite exciting."

It is the first NHRA event sponsorship for Advance Auto Parts, which recently acquired the event's previous title sponsor, Parts America.

"When Sears sold 60% of Parts America to Advance Auto Parts last year, Paul Baffico, President, Sears Automotive Group, told me Advance offered us some of the same promotional sponsorship opportunities we enjoyed in the '90s with Western Auto and Parts America," said Bill Kentling, president of Heartland Park Topeka.

"This announcement indicates how accurate he was in assessing Advance's understanding that 'do-it-yourselfers' and NHRA fans are one and the same," Kentling added. "Advance could have fulfilled the last year of our Parts America contract and walked away, but instead, has taken the long term approach. We're excited to have Advance Auto Parts on our marquee as we start our second decade of racing at Heartland Park Topeka. It will be a great event."

In addition to their new involvement in NHRA Winston Drag Racing, Advance Auto is involved in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and also participates as an associate sponsor for Frank Kimmel's ARCA Series entry.

"We are very excited to have one of the fastest growing auto parts retailers in the country participating with NHRA Winston Drag Racing," said Gardner. "We both share the same audience and same demographics, so it is a perfect match. Our goal is to increase floor traffic for Advance Auto while at the same time exposing their wide customer base to all of the excitement of an NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series event at one of the quickest tracks on the circuit, Heartland Park Topeka."

Advance Auto, located in Roanoke, Va., is a leading specialty retailer and distributor of automotive parts and accessories in the U.S. The company has over 1,500 stores in 36 states.