NSCS: U.S. Air Force, Twisted Tea and R-N Partner with Richard Petty Motorsports

With the NASCAR media tour in full swing, Richard Petty Motorsports made a slew of announcements on Wednesday, January 28th.

The U.S. Air Force will once again be a partner of Richard Petty Motorsports, sponsoring Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 Ford Fusion for the seventh straight year. Aric Almirola will once again be behind the wheel following a victory in last year’s Coke Zero 400 that saw the Florida native qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“Working with the Air Force for the past three years has been really rewarding,” Almirola said. “With my dad serving in the Air Force, I understand the sacrifice the men and women make to keep our country safe. It was great to be able to celebrate my first Sprint Cup win with the Air Force, and I’m so glad they will be back as we defend our win in the Coke Zero 400.”

“To be a part of the DEP swear-ins on race weekends is such an honor. To look into those faces and know how important the promise the young men and women are making and see their bright future never gets old. Walking around ‘Hangar 43’ reinforces the parallels of technology in NASCAR and in the Air Force. It’s cool to see fans walk through and make that connection.”

The U.S. Air Force will be the primary sponsor for the Memorial Day Cola Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as well as the Coke Zero 400 on the Fourth of July weekend at Daytona International Speedway, while remaining an associate partner for the whole season.

“The Air Force is excited to partner with Richard Petty Motorsports again in 2015, for the seventh consecutive season,” Col. Robert Trayers, Air Force Recruiting Service Operations Division chief, said. “NASCAR is a great venue for inspiring and building awareness about who we are as a service and what we believe. Additionally, it’s also a great way to highlight the connection between our Air Force mission and the science, technology, engineering and math principles that play a major role in NASCAR.”

Meanwhile, Twisted Tea Brewing Company will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 9 Ford Fusion for two races. Sam Hornish Jr. jumps behind the wheel following a pair of seasons running a partial XFINITY schedule with Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Daytona will be a career moment for me,” Hornish Jr. commented. “It’s my first race driving for Richard Petty, it’s the Daytona 500 and I’ll once again have an opportunity to join heroes of motorsports if we win. It’s an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to do it with Twisted Tea who will also support us throughout 2015.  They are such a fun, cool partner and to be able to celebrate with them in Victory Lane would certainly be a highlight of my career.”

Twisted Tea will be featured on Hornish’s car in the Daytona 500, as well as the Coke Zero 400 in July. The hard ice tea brewing company will remain as an associate sponsor for the duration of the season.

“We are proud to continue our relationship with Richard Petty Motorsports and Sam Hornish Jr. throughout 2015,” Robert Vail, member of the Twisted Tea team, said. “This has been a great partnership for us and we can’t think of a better way to kick off our year than at the Daytona 500. This is a world class event and we’re teaming up with a world class crew and driver. There is no better time to enjoy Twisted Tea than at Daytona’s biggest event, or cheering on the drivers while watching the race at home.”

Lastly, R-M Automotive Finishes becomes the official automotive refinish paint of Richard Petty Motorsports. R-M Automotive Finishes, a brand of BASF, has been providing the traditional ‘Petty Blue’ color to RPM for the past 25 years.

“Our relationship with the Petty brand is an extension of our belief in delivering top performance and quality,” Mike Freeman, R-M Market Segment Manager for BASF, said. “The Petty brand, including Richard Petty Motorsports and Petty’s Garage, execute at the highest levels in their respective categories. It’s only natural for us to partner to ensure all their automotive finish needs are met to the highest standards.”

“We are very detailed in all the work we do to our race cars and our customer cars,” Richard Petty, co-Owner of Richard Petty Motorsports and Owner of Petty’s Garage, said. “R-M is the brand we trust to deliver the best colors when they leave our race shop. They have proved to have the best products and really help define our cars on the track and for our customers off the track.”