Brad Keselowski, Miller Lite sign contract extention with Penske

 

   Team press release:

 

   MOORESVILLE, NC (October 2, 2013) – Penske Racing today announced multi-year extensions of its partnerships with driver Brad Keselowski and long-time sponsor MillerCoors,  two key elements of the organization’s 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) championship.

   “The extensions of our agreements with both Brad Keselowski and MillerCoors put our team in a real position of strength moving forward,” said Roger Penske. “This is an important day as these agreements will allow Penske Racing to invest significantly in our people and our technology, two critical areas to a successful race team.”

   Keselowski, the 2012 NSCS champion, has agreed to an extension that will keep him behind the wheel of the No. 2 Ford Fusion for many seasons to come. The 29-year-old millennial face of NASCAR, Keselowski combines superb driving ability with acute social media prowess that has elevated him to the elite level of the sport.

   “I am fully committed to Penske Racing and Miller Lite,” said Keselowski. “This will allow us to further grow our program and contend for championships on a consistent basis. It’s an exciting time to be a part of this organization and I look forward to a successful future.”

   In 2014, Miller Lite will continue to adorn the side of the No. 2 Ford Fusion for 24 NSCS points-paying races. Miller Lite will maintain a position as a major associate sponsor for the remaining 12 races of the 2014 season.

   This new agreement extends a partnership between Penske Racing and MillerCoors that spans more than 30 years, one of the longest and strongest sponsor-team relationships in all of sports. This includes the 23-year partnership at the Sprint Cup Series level, but it also extends to historical relationships with the organization in IndyCar competition and sponsorships of race tracks formerly owned by Penske Corporation.  

Another NASCAR champ who drove the No. 3 has died

   Rene Charland, the cigar-chompin’ Hall of Famer whose pranks were almost as legendary as his driving ability, died Monday after years of failing health. He was 84.

    Although he won four straight NASCAR national sportsman championships in the early 1960s, Charland is probably best remembered for a fiery, near-fatal wreck at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in 1966. Once he recovered from his injuries, Charland began referring to the accident as “The French Barbecue,” further adding to his own legacy.

    Born in Chicopee, Mass., Charland later settled in Agawam, Mass., and began racing at Riverside Speedway in 1949.

    His familiar No. 3 was a frequent winner at the dirt bullrings in Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut.

    To read more from the Schenectady (N.Y.) Daily Gazette go here.