3M, USG And Freescale Add Special Awards To 2012 NASCAR Contingency Program

As teams make final preparations to start the 2012 race season, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced the lineup of 2012 NASCAR Contingency Program sponsors for all three national series.

The NASCAR Contingency Program is administered by the Charlotte, N.C. ­based NASCAR Automotive Group. The program strives to build strong relationships with high­ quality, performance­ driven brands that are leaders in their respective categories, and award money to NASCAR teams via per ­race and year-end awards. Competitors become eligible for prize money by displaying sponsor decals on the front fender of their race cars and trucks. In some instances, use of a sponsor’s product is also required.

Three new special awards highlight the 2012 contingency program award lineup. This season, longtime NASCAR Official Partner and Roush Fenway Racing primary sponsor 3M will present the 3M Lap Leader Award in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series. The award will go to the eligible driver who leads the most laps in each race throughout the season. USG Corp., the Official Building Product Supplier of NASCAR, will present the USG "Improving the Finish" Award to the eligible NSCS driver who improves the most positions from starting position to finishing position in each NSCS race event.

Freescale, the Official Automotive Semiconductor of NASCAR, is not only helping to usher in electronic fuel injection to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but also will present a new contingency special award to NSCS competitors. The Freescale "Wide Open" Award will be given to the eligible NSCS driver that is the most aggressive during the final 20% of the race, measured by having the throttle “wide open” the greatest amount of time, and finishing in the top five.

“As one of the largest suppliers of electronics for automotive, networking, consumer and industrial products, Freescale is known for high performance products and for pushing technology to the limits,” said Rich Beyer, chairman and CEO of Freescale Semiconductor. “We want to reward that same kind of performance on the track.”

“We are very pleased to have a strong lineup of NASCAR Prize Money & Decal Program sponsors in the national series this year including new special awards from our dedicated partners 3M, USG and Freescale,” said Todd Armstrong, managing director, NASCAR Automotive Group. “NASCAR contingency sponsors and teams display a level of synergy and teamwork that is unparalleled in sports and continues to be one of the major reasons companies choose to partner with NASCAR.”