BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 15, 2016) — The popular NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash heat race April 16 ratchets up the intensity with a new name, the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300. Fitzgerald, a Tennessee-based company that is North America’s leader in glider kit assembly, is joining the Bristol Motor Speedway family as a multi-year entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR XFINITY Series race.
The Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 is the first race of an XFINITY Series/K&N Pro Series doubleheader on Saturday during the Food City 500 weekend. The 2016 edition of the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 will feature the new Dash 4 Cash format, which will include two Heats and a Main event. Qualifying for the event will set the 40-car field with odd-numbered qualifiers competing in the first Heat and even-numbered qualifiers contending in the second. Finishing order from the two Heats will then set the final starting spots for the Main event of the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300. The top two series regulars from each Heat will then battle for an additional $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus.
“Fitzgerald is a great American company, a leader in the transportation industry and a good fit as the entitlement sponsor for our NASCAR XFINITY Series April race,” said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager for Bristol Motor Speedway. “The response to the new Dash 4 Cash heat racing has been outstanding and we are confident that the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 will be a fan favorite on the circuit this season.”
For over 20 years, Fitzgerald has been the largest glider kit dealer in the country. They have refined their production of gliders, a new cab and chassis with rear axles but without an engine, transmission or accessorial parts, into a steady enterprise, which earned them the name of “The Glider Kit Specialist”. The company produces more than 4,000 trucks per year and offers various models of the Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, and Western Star brands.
“As a Tennessee-based company, it was hard to pass up the opportunity to sponsor one of the most exciting tracks on the NASCAR circuit,” said founder Tommy Fitzgerald Sr. “We try hard to capture every opportunity we can to show pride here in our home state, so the partnership with Bristol Motor Speedway seemed like a natural fit. To help add to this excitement, we will also be sponsoring the No. 22 Fitzgerald Gliders Kit car that led every lap at last year’s race and look forward to Joey Logano giving his all to bring us home the trophy.”
Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski will unveil the Fitzgerald paint scheme this Thursday, March 17 at 10 a.m. at the company’s corporate headquarters in Byrdstown, Tenn.
In addition to Logano representing the brand at Bristol, the Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford will compete in three other NASCAR XFINITY Series races this season. Media are invited to attend the reveal and speak with Keselowski following the event. Interested media should RSVP to Bristol Motor Speedway’s Chris Lawyer atchris@bristolmotorspeedway.com.
The green flag for the first Heat of the Fitzgerald Glider Kits is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. with the second Heat beginning at approximately 1:10 p.m. The Main event is scheduled for 1:45 p.m.
Tickets for Saturday’s doubleheader start at just $35 for adults and $17 for youth (12 and under). Weekend packages – which include the Food City 500 and the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 – are also on sale, beginning at $89 for adults and $44 for youth (12 and under). For more information, visit BristolTix.com or call (855) 580-5525.
About Bristol Motor Speedway
Nestled in the mountains of northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking, 650-feet straightaways and a 40-foot wide racing surface. Renowned as The World’s Fastest Half-Mile, the short track features two races each year from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series, one Monster Truck event and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR K&N Pro Series-East race.
With a crowd capacity in excess of 150,000, the facility is expected to set a new NCAA college football attendance record on Sept. 10, 2016, when the racetrack transforms into a football stadium for the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, playing host to border rivals, the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech. The speedway property is also home to Bristol Dragway.
The historic drag strip celebrates its 51st anniversary this year, headlines with the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals and operates more than 70 event days each season. In 2015, the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, a 501©(3) nonprofit organization, awarded a record-breaking $805,900 to regional children’s charities bringing their 18-year total to nearly $10 million in grants.
In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. a publicly traded company that is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, visit the company’s website at bristolmotorspeedway.com.
About Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald Glider Kits is North America’s leading Glider Kit assembler. The company was founded in 1989, by Tommy Fitzgerald Sr. and his Brother, Ricky Fitzgerald. Today, the company is also co-owned with Tommy’s sons, Robert and Tommy Jr, along with longtime friend, Nick Bresaw. Fitzgerald’s specializes in installing pre-emission engines into new class 8 trucks to create a more fuel efficient rig that requires less maintenance and yields less downtime. Based in central Tennessee, Fitzgerald Glider Kits produces more than 4,000 trucks per year, and offers various models of the Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, and Western Star brands. For more information, visit www.fitzgeraldgliderkits.com.
