As the 2007 racing season gets under way in two weeks, DuPont, Hendrick Motorsports and Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, will mark the 15th anniversary of complete consecutive seasons together in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The sponsor/driver/team combination is currently the longest-running such partnership in the series.
DuPont launched its NASCAR effort in 1992, when it decided to put its corporate brand behind Jeff Gordon, then a rookie 21-year-old driver from
Since then, the team has captured four championships and has not missed a single race since its first start at the final event of the 1992 season. To date, Gordon and the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet have started 473 races, with 56 pole positions and 75 victories. In addition, he has raced to 213 top-five finishes and ended in a top 10 position 287 times.
"Our NASCAR sponsorship has delivered tremendous benefits for the DuPont brand and many of our individual products and businesses over the years,” said John McCool, vice president and general manager, DuPont Refinish. “Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon understand marketing – that’s a major factor in the success of the DuPont Motorsports program.”
The 2007 season kicks off with The Daytona 500 on February 18. During the regular season, drivers compete for slots in the final “Race for the Nextel Cup,” which determines the NASCAR champion. Gordon and the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup in 2006 and finished the year in sixth place in that championship series.