Indy ORP: Peggy Llewellyn preview

Llewellyn will "Rush" into Countdown

NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Peggy Llewellyn will make big noise in the Countdown to the Championship with the help of Rush Racing Products, a leading V-Twin performance exhaust manufacturer. The Indiana based company will inaugurate their primary sponsorship of Llewellyn's Karl Klement Racing Buell today at their home race, the Mac Tools U.S Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.

"We met Peggy at the Motorcycle Dealer Expo last February in Indianapolis," said Rush Racing president Lou Pringle. "She's very personable and very excited about her racing program. Peggy really wants to win, and qualifying for the Countdown proves that. She's got a great team behind her and a great owner in Karl Klement. The real deciding factor in this deal was sitting across the table from Karl. In addition to Peggy, we bought into the man behind this race team."

"Our associate sponsor Tucker Rocky introduced us," Klement said about meeting Pringle. "Now they've decided they want to be our marketing partner for the rest of this season and all next year, and we're tickled to death. They're getting on board at the right time."

True enough. In their first full season of racing, Llewellyn and the Klement Racing Team made the cut for the Countdown to the Championship, the NHRA's new playoff series that starts with the U.S. Nationals. Only the top eight in the POWERade point standings are eligible to compete for the season championship, and all eyes will be on those eight through the last race of the season in Pomona, California. That makes the U.S. Nationals, known as "The Big Go", bigger than ever. "It's a huge accomplishment to be in the Countdown," said co-crew chief Shane Maloney. "There are a lot of really good motorcycles that didn't get in. We're peaking at the right time, and having Rush on board as our primary sponsor is a big confidence booster."

"Peggy and this team are proving we're the real deal," added 6-time national champion tuner George Bryce, the other crew chief on the KK Racing Buell. "Having Rush Racing Products on board not only sets us up for the final push this year, but also gives us a tremendous launching pad into the 2008 season."

"I'm really excited that they're coming on board," said Llewellyn. "We're gonna show them that they picked the right team to help showcase their products."

"Having Rush Racing Products as a marketing partner is a perfect fit," added Klement. "Rush has been leading the way in muffler performance since 1993. Their attention to detail to maximize performance in every muffler they produce is the type of commitment we want on our team, and we're proud to have them on board as our primary sponsor."

"We're relatively picky about where we spend our advertising dollars," finished Pringle. "And the profile of Peggy and the Klement Racing team works well with the way we go to business. By partnering with Karl, we have associated our brand with one of the best team owners in Pro Stock Motorcycle, but also one of the finest and most marketable riders. Peggy will be featured at one of our dealerships in each market that she races in. Together, I think we'll be a great team. We have every confidence that the Rush Racing Products Buell will be competing for a Pro Stock Motorcycle championship."

-credit: kkr