GASTONIA, NC -- WIX Filters has announced that it will extend its associate sponsorship of Joe Gibbs Racing through 2007, taking the mutually beneficial relationship into its 15th year of NASCAR competition.

"A continued WIX Filters and Joe Gibbs Racing partnership offers tremendous benefits to both organizations,” said Bruce Johnston, brand manager of WIX Filters, whose engineers conduct research at races each weekend and in the race shop with Joe Gibbs Racing engineers throughout the season.

“The track is a living R&D lab for WIX engineers,” Johnston said. “The work we do there and the partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing helps assure that WIX will continue to design leading edge high performance filters and filter components for JGR and NASCAR as well as passenger cars and trucks.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing associate sponsorship is the cornerstone of WIX Filters’ involvement in NASCAR - more teams use WIX Filters than any other filter, making WIX the #1 filter in NASCAR - and the filter manufacturer leverages its relationship with JGR in marketing communications efforts. Joe Gibbs Racing’s NEXTEL Cup No. 18 car, driven by Bobby Labonte, and its No. 20 car, driven by Tony Stewart, offer visuals and voices in WIX Filters advertising; WIX uses its track-side research in its public relations efforts; and customers benefit from at-track events, racing-related promotions and the assurance that teams like Joe Gibbs Racing, the filter they are buying has succeeded on the toughest testing ground around.

In addition, Labonte and Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs will make personal appearances on behalf of WIX Filters - a benefit that WIX shares with its customers, giving them a chance to bring a taste of NASCAR to their own events.

“Joe Gibbs Racing and WIX Filters have a long-standing shared commitment to quality and performance, and we look forward to continuing our quest for more championships together,” said J.D. Gibbs, son of team owner Joe Gibbs, the three-time Super Bowl Champion coach who returned last year to lead the Washington Redskins football team.

WIX has been a partner with Joe Gibbs Racing since 1993, just two years after Gibbs launched the race shop, and have continued a strong partnership ever since, including championship seasons with Labonte (2000) and Stewart (2002). WIX worked with Joe Gibbs Racing two years ago to develop a cabin air filtration system to protect Stewart’s and Labonte’s respiratory systems during races. The filtration system is now being used by other teams on the circuit and the research has been applied to filter development by WIX for cabin air filters for passenger cars and trucks.

“We are proud to continue to support Joe Gibbs Racing in their efforts on the track while raising brand awareness of WIX Filters as the best in its category,” Johnston said.

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