Garmin joins Best Buy on No. 66 sponsorship

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Best Buy announced Wednesday that one of its retail partners, Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., will be an associate sponsor of the No. 66 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet, driven by Jeff Green, in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.

Garmin is a premier integrator of GPS enabled devices and a leading designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics. Garmin also manufactures a variety of state-of-the-art GPS-enabled products for boaters, hikers, hunters, runners, cyclists, and pilots.

"We're thrilled to have Garmin on board the No. 66 car," said Barry Judge, senior vice president of marketing, Best Buy. "This sponsorship is a great way to raise awareness among race fans of Garmin's products, and reminds consumers that many of those products are available through Best Buy. Everyone at Best Buy has been extremely pleased with our racing sponsorship, and we're certain Garmin will be as well."

The Garmin logo will appear on the No. 66 Chevrolet, as well as on driver and crew uniforms and support vehicles throughout the 2007 season. As part of the sponsorship agreement, Garmin will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 66 entry in the Nextel Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway later this year.

"This sponsorship makes perfect sense for Garmin. Many of our customers and associates are among the 75 million brand-loyal fans who follow this sport closely, and partnering with one of our major retailers affords us synergies that we simply can't get elsewhere," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "We feel this sponsorship will help race fans realize that Garmin can make their lives easier and more enjoyable -- whether it's on a race weekend road trip, a day on the water, or while enjoying the great outdoors."

The Garmin logo first appeared on the No. 66 Best Buy Chevrolet this past weekend during practice and qualifying for the Daytona 500, and will be seen on the No. 66 entry whenever Best Buy is the car's primary sponsor (currently scheduled to be 22 races).