AUTOZONE TO SPONSOR MONTOYA AND CINDRIC IN IOWA

July 13, 2015


AutoZone, the leading retailer and a leading distributor of automotive parts and accessories, announced today it will be an associate sponsor of Team Penske’s reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya in the Verizon IndyCar Series race at the 7/8-mile Iowa Speedway on July 18. In addition, AutoZone will serve as the primary sponsor for 16-year-old Austin Cindric in his ARCA Racing Series debut with Cunningham Motorsports on Friday, July 17.

AutoZone, which serves as an associate sponsor of Team Penske’s NASCAR Cup Series program, will have an expanded presence on the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet driven by Montoya. Montoya has already earned two victories this season, along with eight top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 12 starts. He became a two-time Indy 500 champion after winning the 99th running of the historic event in May. Montoya currently leads the Verizon IndyCar Series championship standings by 54 points over Scott Dixon.

Cindric, the son of Team Penske President Tim Cindric, will make his ARCA debut driving the No. 99 AutoZone Ford for long-time ARCA competitors Cunningham Motorsports. The Cunningham Motorsports team has worked with Team Penske in the past, providing opportunities for young up-and-coming drivers. Cunningham Motorsports has already earned three ARCA victories this season.

Despite his young age, Cindric has already amassed an impressive racing resume. He currently competes full-time in the Red Bull Global Rallycross Lites and IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series.  Cindric is a two-time Lites winner this season and a former X-Games medalist. In February, he became the youngest driver to ever compete in the prestigious Bathurst 12 Hour race in Australia where he raced an A-Class Mercedes SLS AMG for the Erebus Motorsport team. This past weekend, Cindric piloted the Multimatic Ford Shelby Mustang GT350R-C to victory in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Canadian Tire Motorspots Park.

“I’m very excited to get the opportunity to race in the ARCA Series. Representing AutoZone in my first race is really special,” said Cindric, who just finished his sophomore year at Cannon School in Concord, North Carolina. “I’ve grown up around some of the most respected names in the sport, and I really appreciate all of those who have supported me.”

The ARCA Racing Series Iowa 150 is scheduled to start at 9:00 p.m. ET on Friday, July 17 and will be televised live on FoxSports1. The Verizon IndyCar Series Iowa Corn 300 is set to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 18 and will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.