Minneapolis, August 14, 2009 - Labor Day Weekend usually means rest, relaxation and a long weekend. To one of the hardest-working racers in the sport, Robby Gordon, it is an opportunity to travel across the country and do what he loves best, race. Gordon will race The Off Road Championship (TORC), at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway, in Crandon, Wis., on Sunday, September 6, and then jump on a plane and head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Labor Day Classic 500, later that night.
"I am very excited about this new opportunity with Polaris as the primary sponsor of the TORC entry in Crandon and the NASCAR entry in Atlanta. To combine these two tracks where I historically perform well together on Labor Day weekend should make for an exciting double-header," commented Robby Gordon on the Polaris sponsorship.
As part of the multi-year product development and marketing agreement Polaris and Gordon inked earlier this year, Polaris will be the primary sponsor of Gordon's No. 007 TORC Chevy Silverado race truck for the TORC race and the primary sponsor on the No. 7 NSCS Toyota Camry, at the NASCAR Labor Day Classic 500.
"We can not be more excited to be associated with Robby and what he is trying to accomplish in both Crandon and Atlanta," said Craig Scanlon, director of Off-Road Vehicle sales for Polaris. "Robby has quickly become a integral part of the Polaris family and we are very proud to have him represent the more than 3,000 employees at Polaris."
On his 20-year anniversary of his first World Championship win in the series, Gordon returns to Crandon in hopes of capturing the first cup race of the TORC season. He is still the youngest off-road racer in history to win a World Championship title and ring at Crandon.
A whirlwind of a weekend, Gordon will practice for the TORC race on Friday and Saturday morning, then fly to Atlanta after Saturday's practice to qualify for the NASCAR Labor Day Classic, and return to Crandon on Saturday night for more prep before the race on Sunday. After the TORC race, he'll jump back on a plane to compete in the NASCAR race on Sunday evening.
"Earlier in the year, we began our relationship working on product development with Polaris' Side-by-Side division. To have them become more involved in our program is very exciting, especially on the Off-road racing side of things. This enables us to continue sharing information back and forth to further help with the future development on the consumer Side-by-Side products," stated Gordon on his relationship with Polaris.
This past winter, Gordon and Polaris entered into a three-year agreement that included Gordon providing insight on future products and promoting Polaris' RANGER RZR Side-by-Sides. The agreement was unique in that Gordon would not only market Polaris product but also use his off-road expertise to help create new Polaris vehicles. It won't be much longer when off-road enthusiasts will see the first of the units co-developed by Robby Gordon and Polaris.
"Gordon is one of the hardest-working names in racing, and his work ethic and off-road knowledge has been instrumental in the development of new Polaris products during the past seven months. We look forward to an exciting Labor Day race weekend and future product launch," added Scanlon.
The TORC off-road race can be seen live on ABC, Sunday, September 5, from 4-5 p.m. ET. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Labor Day Classic 500 will air on ESPN, starting at 7 p.m. ET, Sunday night.
About Polaris
With annual 2008 sales of $1.9 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER™, snowmobiles and Victory motorcycles for recreational and utility use.
Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry; and one of the largest manufacturers of ORVs in the world. Victory motorcycles, established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads into the cruiser and touring motorcycle marketplace. Polaris also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "PII," and the Company is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 stock price index. Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.