Officials with VP Racing Fuels have announced a retail branding partnership with Andre Hardy, owner and operator of Montauk Native Gas located in Mastic, New York. Effective with its reimaging, Hardy’s station will be the first on Long Island to brand with VP as well as the first to distribute VP’s race fuel blends on the island. The station also co-sponsors an NHRA Funny Car and a Top Alcohol Funny Car team, both of which will provide marketing support for the station and the VP Racing Fuels brand.

“I’ve been a fan of VP since I was a kid and through my involvement in racing recognize its reputation as the top race fuel brand in the industry,” said Hardy. “I founded Montauk Native Gas three years ago to help support our racing programs, which in turn provided exposure for my station. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to brand with VP and leverage the strength of the VP brand to build my retail business, provide more robust support for our racing and ultimately enable me to achieve my dream of driving an NHRA Top Fuel car.

“VP’s branding program is ideal, allowing us to easily build on the marketing platform we already had in place with Montauk Native Gas. The low cost of the program and its low credit card rates, along with the additional revenue streams from VP-branded fuel additives, race fuels, small engine fuels and other products, were a big bonus,” said Hardy.

“We look forward to making VP’s race fuels available to all the performance enthusiasts on Long Island who, until now, had a difficult time getting access to them. With our location on the water, we also anticipate supplying a great number of the marinas and boating enthusiasts in the area,” said Hardy. “Our plans include adding a speed shop to our Montauk Native Gas site providing customers with a source for engines, parts and accessories, along with race fuels for their racing needs. Over time we plan to brand additional stations on Long Island with VP as well.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Andre and his team in what promises to be a perfect marriage of business models,” said Alan Cerwick, president of VP Racing Fuels. “There are tremendous synergies between Montauk Native Gas, Andre’s racing program and our retail branding program, and by leveraging the strength of the VP Racing Fuels brand, all will benefit greatly.”