CONCORD, N.C., April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers Insurance has joined Hendrick Motorsports as a five-race primary sponsor of the Chevrolets driven by Mark Martin in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with plans to kick off the relationship by fielding a special "throwback" paint scheme.
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The agreement secures primary placement for Farmers Insurance in five events and associate-level sponsorship on Martin's cars throughout the remainder of this season. The NASCAR team sponsorship is the first for Los Angeles-based Farmers since February 2009, when it executed a one-race program at Fontana, Calif.
"This partnership makes a lot of sense for Farmers," said Paul Patsis, president of Enterprise Marketing for Farmers Insurance. "NASCAR fans are among the sports world's most loyal and passionate. This is a great opportunity to show them why Farmers is an industry leader, just like Farmers customer and world-class driver Mark Martin."
At the May 21 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Farmers Insurance will launch its program with a special No. 25 Farmers Insurance Throwback Chevrolet. The paint scheme will resemble the red No. 25 cars fielded by Hendrick Motorsports for the first time in 1986 -- 25 years ago. That season, the combination of driver Tim Richmond and crew chief Harry Hyde won seven races and eight pole positions.
Returning to his customary car number, Martin also will drive the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet in four points-paying Sprint Cup Series races: June 5 at Kansas Speedway, June 12 at Pocono Raceway, June 26 at Infineon Raceway and Aug. 27 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
"We're excited about this new partnership with Farmers and the opportunity to represent its nearly 24,000 employees and more than 50,000 agents," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "It's an innovative company with very strong corporate values, and I'm confident that we'll continue to work together for a long time to come.
"When you have a partner that's essentially new to the sport, kicking off a program with a nod to the past is a unique approach. The No. 25 was my dad's car, and it's always held a special place in our history. Farmers choosing this paint scheme for its first race with Mark and Hendrick Motorsports means a lot, and I think our fans will really like it."
Martin has an impressive record at each venue on the Farmers schedule, having earned points-paying Sprint Cup victories at Charlotte (4), Bristol (2), Kansas (1) and Infineon (1). The Batesville, Ark., native is a two-time winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and has posted 33 top-10 finishes at Pocono, a personal best for the veteran driver at any track.
"I'm proud to be associated with Farmers Insurance," said Martin, 51, a 40-time Sprint Cup race winner. "I've been a customer for more than five years -- my agent is in Searcy (Ark.) -- so I know it's a terrific company that offers the highest quality products and services.
"Bringing back that No. 25 paint scheme is something cool for the fans, and it fits really well with the Farmers colors and how the company embraces its own history. I remember watching what Hendrick Motorsports accomplished in '86, and I just hope the 25th anniversary of the 25 brings us a little magic."
In addition to the Hendrick Motorsports relationship, the professional sports properties of Farmers Insurance include naming rights to the planned professional football stadium in Los Angeles, the PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and the ATP World Tour Farmers Classic held on the campus of UCLA.
ABOUT FARMERS INSURANCE:
Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is the country's third largest insurer of both personal lines passenger automobile and homeowners insurance, and also provides a wide range of other insurance and financial services products. Farmers Insurance is proud to serve more than 10 million households with more than 20 million individual policies across all 50 states through the efforts of over 50,000 exclusive and independent agents and nearly 24,000 employees.
Farmers is a trade name and may refer to Farmers Group Inc. or the Farmers Exchanges, as the case may be. Farmers Group Inc., a management and holding company, along with its subsidiaries, is wholly owned by the Zurich Financial Services Group. The Farmers Exchanges are three reciprocal insurers (Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange), including their subsidiaries and affiliates, owned by their policyholders, and managed by Farmers Group Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information about Farmers, visit its website at www.farmers.com or at www.Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance.
ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS:
Since 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 196 race victories and a record 10 car owner championships in NASCAR's premier division, the Sprint Cup Series. The organization fields four full-time Chevrolet teams on the Sprint Cup circuit with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Headquartered in Concord, N.C., Hendrick Motorsports employs more than 500 people. For more information, please visit www.HendrickMotorsports.com, www.twitter.com/TeamHendrick and www.facebook.com/HendrickMotorsports.
MEDIA INFORMATION:
Kendra Jacobs, Hendrick Motorsports
704-455-3400
kjacobs at hmsracing dot com
Michelle Levy, Farmers Insurance
512-791-7445
michelle dot levy at farmersinsurance dot com
Please visit our new media-only website at http://media.hendrickmotorsports.com.
SOURCE Farmers Insurance
