Axalta agrees to contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports

Axalta, a global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, has agreed to a contract extension with HMS through the 2022 NASCAR season.

Throughout the new agreement, Axalta will be featured as a yearly 25-race primary sponsor of the teams of Bowman and Byron.

Over the next two years, Axalta will serve as primary sponsor for Bowman in 15 races in 2018 and 12 races in 2019; and 10 races for Byron in 2018 and 13 races in 2019. Schedules for the 2020-2022 seasons will be announced at a later date.

The new pact extends a multi-faceted partnership – now in its 26th full season – that began in November 1992 when Axalta first sponsored driver Jeff Gordon, who went on to win four Cup titles and 93 races through 2015.

The relationship continued in 2016 and 2017 with NASCAR’s 15-time most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel. In addition, last May Axalta opened a 36,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Customer Experience Center on the HMS campus outside Charlotte, N.C., to enable customers to train and be part of a full racing experience.

“Motorsports is in Axalta’s DNA,” said Charlie Shaver, Axalta’s chairman and CEO. “For more than 25 years, our partnership with Hendrick Motorsports has enabled us to showcase our industry leading performance coatings that have helped make cars lighter, more efficient, and look terrific.”

Bowman, 24, and rookie of the year contender Byron, 20, are each in their first full season competing for Hendrick Motorsports.

“We are so proud of our partnership with Axalta,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Their long-term commitment to our organization and our sport as a whole has been unbelievable.

“They are constantly innovating and investing to keep the program fresh, enhance the experience for their customers and ultimately drive value for their business. We’ve worked together for more than a quarter of a century, and I believe it’s just the beginning.”