Cummins, Inc. is returning to motorsports by sponsoring a car in the NASCAR Cup series with a number that is well-known to Columbus race fans.
The company is sponsoring the No. 14 Ford Fusion from the Stewart-Haas racing team for two races.
Columbus native and retired NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, who co-owns Stewart-Haas Racing, raced the No. 14 car during his career. Stewart co-owns Stewart-Haas Racing with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas. Cummins has its global headquarters in Columbus.
“For as long as I can remember, Cummins and motorsports were one in the same,” said Stewart, in a press release accompanying the announcement.
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The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, 1997 IndyCar Series champion and four-time USAC champion said he remembers the company’s presence in the Indianapolis 500 and seeing the Cummins logo in NASCAR for years with driver Mark Martin.
“To be able to team up with a hometown company and help Cummins grow its business with another Stewart-Haas Racing partner in Rush Truck Centers is something I take a lot of personal pride in,” Stewart said. “I know what winning feels like as a driver, but this is what winning feels like when you’re a team owner.”
The No. 14 car will debut at the Aug. 18 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway, according to the racing team, who announced the sponsorship Friday. Cummins is sharing primary sponsorship of the car with Rush Truck Centers.
Clint Bowyer will drive the car, which is also racing at the Oct. 14 event at Talladega (Alabama) Superspeedway.
“Cummins is a global brand and category leader and we’re very proud to have them back in racing,” said Mike Verlander, vice president of sales and marketing for the race team. “It’s a win for our industry and a win for Stewart-Haas Racing.”
Cummins’ association with motorsports dates back to the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911 when company founder Clessie Cummins was on the pit crew of the race-winning Marmon Wasp with driver Ray Harroun.
While Cummins is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions, the company is best known for its diesel truck engines.
Rush Truck Centers is described as the nation’s largest provider of premium products and services for the commercial vehicle market, with the largest truck inventory in North America.
“I cannot wait to see the Cummins brand back on the racetrack with Clint Bowyer and the No. 14 team,” said Amy Boerger, Cummins vice president of sales.
The two companies already work together to help Cummins’ customers who might need maintenance at a Rush Truck Centers location, according to the news release.
RushCare Service Connect automatically provides information to Cummins, to expedite and facilitate Cummins support when necessary, according to the companies. All correspondence about the issue is captured and may be viewed on a portal, allowing customers and service advisers to see the entire maintenance history associated with a vehicle in the system.
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Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation, the largest CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine tool builder in North America.
The team fields four entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, including:
- The No. 4 Ford Fusion for Kevin Harvick
- The No. 10 Ford Fusion for Aric Almirola
- The No. 14 Ford Fusion for Clint Bowyer
- The No. 41 Ford Fusion for Kurt Busch
The team also competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series by fielding a full-time entry — the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Cole Custer, and one part-time entry, the No. 98 Ford Mustang.
Stewart-Haas Racing is based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, and has about 380 employees
For more information, visit StewartHaasRacing.com
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