NICKELODEON ANNOUNCES THREE NASCAR DRIVERS TO JOIN THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE SPRINT CUP SERIES LINEUP AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
NASCAR Stars Regan Smith and Michael McDowell will Represent the Turtles, while Landon Cassill Joins the Foot Clan in Specially Designed Cars as Part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 Sept. 18
NEW YORK – Sept. 8, 2016 – Nickelodeon today announced it has added three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Drivers to its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle lineup at Chicagoland Speedway. Regan Smith, Michael McDowell and Landon Cassill will join Danica Patrick with special paint schemes of the famous Turtles and their nemeses the Foot Clan. Nickelodeon is the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Sept. 18, dubbed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. The track will feature a weekend of action, activities and fun for the entire family with the iconic Heroes in a Half Shell.
* Smith will be driving the No. 7 Nikko RC/TMNT Raphael Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Raphael, one of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles raised and trained by their sensei Master Splinter, is known as the rebel of the group and wears a signature red mask. In December 2015, Toy State, primary sponsor of the No. 7 car and owner of the Nikko Remote Control brand, entered into a three-year licensing partnership with Nickelodeon on the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand. The partnership grants Toy State rights to design, develop and manufacture lines of Ninja Turtles-themed ‘lights and sound’, preschool and radio-controlled toy vehicles, which are currently available for purchase at major retail outlets, including the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael Ooze Booster car. For more information please visit www.toystate.com.
* McDowell will also be #TeamTurtle when he hits the track in the No. 95 Thrivent Financial/TMNT Donatello Chevrolet. Donatello, aka Donnie, is the brains of the Turtles and will adorn the hood and right rear quarter panel of McDowell’s Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing car.
Cassill will pilot the No. 38 TMNT Bebop Ford for Front Row Motorsports. Bepop, a mutant Warthog, is one of the henchmen of the Turtles’ archenemy Shredder and part of the criminal organization the Foot Clan - #TeamFoot.
* NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Patrick has already been announced to drive the No. 10 April O’Neil/Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400.
This Sept. 15-18 marks the sixth consecutive year that Chicagoland Speedway will kick off the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The Nickelodeon partnership will include sponsorship of the 2017 kick off race, as well.
“We are excited to add Regan, Michael and Landon to our partnerships in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race,” said Anthony DiCosmo, Senior Vice President, Sports Marketing and Development, Nickelodeon. “Just as we did with last season’s SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 will continue to expand our relationship with NASCAR, while working with another best-in-class ISC track to give fans a unique and engaging race experience that the whole family can enjoy.”
During the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 race weekend, attendees will be able to enjoy fun family activities in the Nickelodeon Kids Zone, located in Champion’s Park. The area will feature appearances from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costumed characters, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles photo station and more.
Nickelodeon has a long-standing relationship with NASCAR, teaming up with the motorsports giant on several programming and racing events. On the track, the network has sponsored the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway in 2015; brought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2014; participated in the Bank of America 500 week in 2012; and the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC in 2004. NASCAR has also contributed talent and content to Nickelodeon programming such as the Kids’ Choice Awards (Danica Patrick, 2012 and 2013); Kids’ Choice Sports Awards (Danica Patrick, 2014, Ben Kennedy, 2015); Team Umizoomi (Jeff Gordon, 2012); two seasons of Hammer Down (2014 and 2015); and an episode of Bubble Guppies (Jimmie Johnson, 2015). Most recently, Nick and NASCAR announced a third season of Hammer Down on Nicktoons’ NickSports block, premiering Sept. 23, and a series of brand-new special episodes of Blaze and the Monster Machines featuring NASCAR drivers Chase Elliot, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Danica Patrick, airing on the Nick Jr. block Sept. 29 and Nov. 4.
Currently in its fourth season, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is seen in over 170 countries and territories and translated in 50+ languages. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles follows four mutant turtles—Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo—trained in the art of ninjutsu by their mutant rat sensei, Master Splinter, who teaches the turtles to battle evil from the New York City sewers. Executive produced by Ciro Nieli and Brandon Auman, the series is created at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.
About Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-mile, paved oval race track located in Joliet, Ill. The track has hosted racing events of the major U.S. racing series, and currently conducts races in all three NASCAR national series, including the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Along with Route 66 Raceway, a multimillion-dollar complex that includes a ¼ mile stadium-style drag strip and a ½ mile dirt oval track, Chicagoland Speedway is wholly-owned by International Speedway Corporation (ISC), a major promoter of motorsports activities. ISC owns and/or operates 13 of the nation’s major racing venues, including Daytona International Speedway. For more information on Chicagoland Speedway, visit ChicagolandSpeedway.com.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 37th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
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Additional source: DesertDispatch.com.
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