Ingersoll Rand named Official Power Tools of NASCAR - MotorSportsTalk

Today, Ingersoll Rand has been announced as the Official Power Tools of NASCAR, which formalizes a relationship one of the global leaders of reliable and innovative power tools has had with the sanctioning body since the 1950s.

The agreement will also see Ingersoll Rand named as an official partner for IMSA, and a contingency sponsor for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Touring & Weekly Series.

Ingersoll Rand’s mission, among other things over the course of this new five-year partnership, is to further recognize both current and the next generation of crews and also to further work to integrate NASCAR’s fan base with the tools themselves.

“We have a long history in racing, going back to when in 1959 we introduced the thunder gun, which is used by most of the pit crews today,” John Evans, President, Ingersoll Rand power tools, told MotorSportsTalk in an interview.

“There is a desire about high performance cars, whether you’re in the pits or working on an assembly plant, where people want a high performance tool. We have a lot of demographic evidence to support that.”

“They’ve really been a constant force in the garage, so this is a natural extension of their involvement,” added Jim O’Connell, chief sales officer, NASCAR. “They’ve been organically involved. Then they want to get the same message out to fans and consumers.

“We understand fans think about sponsorship differently than any other sport. They are apt to try the products because they support our sport, and NASCAR gives them the seal of approval. We believe in them. It’s a great fit of a product used in our sport, used by people watching our sport.”

The grassroots level, within the Touring & Weekly Series, will see a more tangible fan-first approach as part of the new partnership.

One of Ingersoll Rand’s new programs is its new Home Tracks Text-to-Win contest for fans at tracks throughout the season. Fans will have opportunities to win an Ingersoll Rand prize pack and meet-and-greets with pit crews and other high-profile racing and automotive personalities.

“Fans have the opportunity to test on the actual tools used by the pit crew members,” Evans said. “So that will include changing the tires, matching wits.

“We have some folks on our team that used to be in crews. It helps create a family atmosphere. That helps everyone kind of get the feel of racing. Folks that go to races already have some of that.”

“This extends our ties to the sport,” said Brian Welborn, global channel marketing leader, Ingersoll Rand. “Our focus is beyond the Sprint Cup, with the Home Tracks part of it. This is us getting back to the roots of racing, and being part of the Home Tracks communities.”

Welborn expanded on the Sprint Cup contingency program and IMSA official partnership.

“Part of our contingency program for Sprint Cup is to celebrate the crew chiefs and mechanics,” Welborn explained. “The ‘Power Move Award’ is what we’re calling it. This gives us a chance to celebrate those folks.

“The IMSA tie-in will involve our vision for how we participate in racing. We have a team we sponsor in Rebel Rock Racing. With sports cars, fans tend to focus on the car brands more than teams and drivers. So this will be about customer engagement and getting fans out there in a great atmosphere.”

O’Connell said further activation plans beyond what is being announced today – including with both of NASCAR’s TV partners for 2015 in FOX and NBC – are still being determined, but expected to progress.

One of Welborn’s other notes was about a crew chief that stood out for him, in the form of Kevin Harvick’s crew chief Rodney Childers.

“My first kind of entrée to crews, as I have only been part of the show for a couple years, came during champion’s week when we got an intro to Rodney Childers. He’s a great guy. The more we are introduced to these guys in the sport really helps fit with our brand, to be authentic and real.”

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Vicki Golden has earned a career worthy of a thousand stories and 805 Beer tells at least one of them, as “Inverted Perspective” premiered March 30 on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”.

At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.

Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California.

Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.

“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”

805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”

Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life.

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The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general.

“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said. “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”

*Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer*

While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself.

“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”

Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.

Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg.

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Golden 805 Beer — *Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer*

“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle.

“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”

The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective.

“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.

“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”

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