I missed this announcement Sunday at Talladega ( the Redskins/Panthers was much better than the Talladega Two-Step for me) and if it's already been discussed, my apologies.
JTG Daugherty Racing Announces 2012 Plans
Sunday morning JTG Daugherty Racing owners Tad and Jodi Geschickter and Brad Daugherty announced their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series plans for the 2012 season at a press conference at Talladega Superspeedway.
Driving for JTG Daugherty Racing again next season will be 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte.
I like the plan that this team has in place and if you look at the choices Ive made throughout my career, you can tell that I have always enjoyed the challenge of building up a team, Labonte said. We have some people with proven success coming to work with us and we plan to capitalize on that along with the technical resources of Toyota. Weve had some limited success this year and we are focused on improving and continuing to build our program. I am looking forward to a successful 2012.
In addition to Labonte signing for next season, Todd Berrier has been named as crew chief and general manager of the JTG Daugherty Racing operation. Berrier spent nearly two decades as a crew chief at Richard Childress Racing and led his team into the Chase for the Sprint Cup four times. Along the way, he won several races. Notable wins as crew chief, include the 2007 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and the 2003 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with driver Kevin Harvick.
Todd Berrier is a winner, pure and simple, stated Brad Daugherty. He is innovative, an effective communicator, great with race cars and knows how to use the resources available to him to optimize performance. We are confident that he is the right individual to lead our race team into the future.
Im looking forward to this new opportunity with JTG Daugherty Racing and working with Bobby. said Berrier, who mentioned he has 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins as a crew chief, not counting non-points races he has won.
Frank Kerr, who has performed crew chief duties for JTG Daugherty Racing during the last four seasons will take on a new role as shop foreman.
Most people do not realize how much of a teams success is based on the preparation that goes on at the shop, said Tad Geschickter. We appreciate Frankies dedication and know that without his efforts we would not be standing here today. He will do a great job ensuring that our processes and preparation at the shop are flawless.
Toyota and TRD USA (Toyota Racing Development) will continue to support the No. 47 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry as the team returns to the Harrisburg, N.C. race shop for their base of race operations.
Toyota has been a great partner to us in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series, stated Tad Geschickter. They provide tremendous resources through TRDs chassis engineering group in Salisbury, N.C. and we intend to fully utilize the tools that they provide to improve our performance as we move forward in 2012 and beyond.
Laerte Zatta, formerly of TRD, will be the teams director of engineering.
Laerte helped build the infrastructure and tools at TRDs Salisbury facility and has had tremendous success in making the Toyota teams he has assisted become winners, Jodi Geschickter said. He also has a wealth of knowledge with electronic fuel injection (EFI) from his days in open wheel racing. We are fortunate to have Laerte come on board and help us maximize our use of the resources that TRD will provide to make our team more successful.
In addition to the personnel and structural changes in store for 2012, JTG Daugherty Racing continues to stay ahead of the industry on sponsorship procurement and retention.
Tad Geschickter explained, NASCAR continues to be a great property to help brands connect with consumers in a meaningful way. The economy continues to change and the way shoppers make their purchase decisions continues to evolve. We spend more time than any other team studying these trends. We believe that our sponsorship model is the way of the future for brands that want to fully leverage NASCAR to address business opportunities and create a measurable return on investment. Many of the sponsorships that we are announcing today are multi-year agreements and we will have several new sponsorships to announce in the coming months. I think this is proof that the JTG Daugherty Racing model works and should be considered as sponsors come into the sport for years to come.
The team will continue to focus on shopper mega trends to provide co-sponsorship marketing platforms and innovative promotion tools that allow brands to promote together. The approach maximizes share of voice and controls costs for sponsors -- essentially providing a turnkey way for brands to connect the dots between exposure on the race track, promotional activity at retailers, and increased sales.
For instance, the Racing Season is Grilling Season platform is based on the insight that people are vacationing at home more than ever before, and that grilling out at home or at the tailgate with family and friends is a great way to relax. Its with great pleasure that JTG Daugherty Racing announces that the Kingsford Charcoal will return for its fifteenth season with the team.
Further complimenting the platform, Bushs Beans will return for its 10th season with the team. Also, returning is Kimberly-Clark Corporation whose SCOTT Paper Products seeks to become the paper product of choice for the tailgate. Rounding out the shopper BBQ solution will be Hidden Valley, KC Masterpiece Barbeque Sauces & marinades, and Glad bags and wraps.
The Take Care of Your Crew platform is based on the concern for the rising cost of healthcare and the fact that shoppers are seeking to make healthier choices to take care of their families. Clorox bleach and bleach-based cleaning and disinfecting products will be the cornerstone of the promotion. Co-sponsoring is Kimberly-Clark whose brands provide people with essentials for a better life by adding convenience to daily routines with some of the worlds most recognized products.
Fans are more conscious than ever about protecting their investment in the automobile. The Take Care of Your Car platform will allow JTG Daugherty Racing to introduce their successful shopper marketing programs to the automotive aftermarket retailers across the country. Further, Reese Towpower and Highland products will be the flagship brands for this sponsorship theme.
JTG Daugherty Racing looks forward to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
In closing, we anticipate a successful program in 2012 and look forward to next season, Tad Geschickter said.
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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
