The new collaboration includes the installation of 20 Eaton Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at NASCAR offices in Daytona Beach, Charlotte and Concord. The stations will power electric and plug-in hybrid EVs of NASCAR employees and guests. Eaton is a leading provider of EV charging infrastructure in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, EV charging infrastructure build out is critical given its benefits include lowered Greenhouse Gas and particulate emissions, improved public health, increased energy security and lower operating cost per mile. For example, based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy ratings (fueleconomy.gov), fully charging a Ford Focus EV every day for a year equates to saving 211 trees which equates to the GHG emissions from five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. 

“The dedication put behind the NASCAR Green platform has translated into NASCAR not only being the leader in sports sustainability, but in establishing  a business model that benefits our partners, customers and the planet,” said Dr. Mike Lynch, NASCAR managing director, green innovation, strategic development. “Through the installation of Eaton’s industry-leading EV charging station technology, Eaton provides NASCAR with a yet another impactful way to reduce the sports’ impact on the environment in the future.”

According to a 2012 study commissioned by NASCAR and conducted by Toluna, NASCAR fans are twice as likely as non-fans to view their household as very green — always looking for new ways to positively impact the environment. The same research shows that NASCAR fans are multiple times more likely than non-fans to closely associate NASCAR with being environmentally responsible.

“As a former NASCAR driver, I have seen firsthand how motorsports are not only an incubator of significant technology advancements in transportation, but also a key platform in driving public awareness of the technologies,” said Johnny Miller, global client director, Eaton’s electrical business. “As a leader in energy management and in the emerging market of grid connected vehicles, Eaton is a perfect fit for the NASCAR Green Team.”

NASCAR’s transformative efforts in Green have established it as the leader in sustainability across all of sports. Through strategic partnerships with teams, tracks and Official Partners, NASCAR Green continues to set new benchmarks. NASCAR features the world’s largest solar-powered sports facility (by more than two times), a tree planting program capturing 100 percent of the emissions produced by on-track racing, and the largest recycling program in sports. Its corporate headquarters in Daytona Beach, the International Motorsports Center, has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (“LEED”) Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Additionally, NASCAR launched a long term biofuels program to reduce emissions in all its racing series with partners Sunoco, American Ethanol and the National Corn Growers Association. NASCAR recently surpassed four million miles driven across its three national series on Sunoco Green E15.

As part of this collaboration, Eaton joins the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council®, which brings together an exclusive group of more than 60 Official NASCAR Partners four times per year to buy and sell products and services from one another. This exclusive business-to-business environment offers unique opportunities for many FORTUNE 500 companies to bypass the time and layers of corporate coordination that may exist and construct customized deals to help address specific business needs.

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“This is a landmark day for the series,” said Jerome Galpin, general manager of Team FJ, which owns and operates the European-based series. “Whelen’s support of NASCAR at every level is exemplary and to have them on board with the Euro Series brings another level of prestige and support to the series.”

Last year, Spain’s Ander Vilarino became the first NASCAR European champion. He again leads the championship points after three race weekends.

Galpin and Vilarino were joined at Monday’s announcement on the Seine River by Nicolas Deschaux, president of FFSA (Fédération Française du Sport Automobile); Bob Duvall, NASCAR senior director of business development; and Joe Balash, NASCAR international competition liaison.

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series competes on road courses in France (Circuit Paul Armagnac in Nogaro, Circuit de Dijon-Prenois in Dijon, and the championship round at Circuit Le Mans Bugatti in LeMans), England (Brands Hatch Circuit), Spain (MotorLand Aragón, near Alcañiz) and Italy (Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, north of Milan).

Many of those facilities have signed long-term agreements to hold Euro Series races.

The Tours track is a nearly .400-mile track. The success of the first event last year, won by NASCAR K&N Pro Series driver Ben Kennedy, has prompted the series to make it a more permanent structure with additional banking.

“NASCAR is a globally recognized brand that is synonymous with excitement, family entertainment, and close door-to-door competition,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president of regional and touring series. “And that’s exactly what the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series represents in Europe. We are extremely proud to partner with Team FJ and Whelen Engineering, and help take this series to the next level.”

The signing of Whelen as an entitlement sponsor is yet another example of the growth and potential of the series.

“NASCAR has been a tremendous partner for Whelen Engineering, and having our products at the tracks and used by teams is really at the core of what we’re about,” said Phil Kurze, vice president of motorsports for Whelen Engineering. “We enjoy helping to provide people with exciting weekend entertainment, and providing an opportunity for drivers, mechanics, crew chiefs and fabricators to display their talents. As we continue to expand our distribution throughout Europe, partnering with Team FJ is a natural fit.”

Whelen has been in NASCAR since the early 1990s, getting its first involvement with Ted Christopher in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East back when it was known as the NASCAR Busch North Series.

Whelen progressed in car sponsorship, eventually landing as a primary sponsor for Dave Blaney in the 2004 Daytona 500. The Connecticut-based company has also been involved in sports car racing, sponsoring Boris Said and Eric Curran in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series.

Whelen’s involvement in NASCAR increased in 2005, when it became the entitlement sponsor for the NASCAR Modified Tour in 2005, sponsoring the oldest series in NASCAR. That same year, Whelen became the sponsor for the newly-formed Southern Modified Tour.

In 2007, Whelen added to its NASCAR presence by becoming the title sponsor of NASCAR’s grassroots weekly series. The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series encompasses 55 short tracks throughout the US and Canada. Recently, Whelen re-affirmed its commitment by having extending its contract through 2019.

Kurze pointed out that Whelen’s products — which are all manufactured in the U.S. by is more than 1,400 employees at its plants in Connecticut and New Hampshire — are used extensively by police and fire departments, towing companies, and emergency personnel. Many of those same people help make up the racing community.

“It just makes sense for us to be involved here and that we’re supporting their sport,” said Kurze. “As time has gone on, we saw an increase in sales, which we attributed directly to our involvement in NASCAR.

Whelen’s sponsorship of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is in addition to the commitments it has made to the U.S.-based series.

Kurze said that as the company has expanded distribution into many parts of Europe, it’s a naturally fit to partner with the Euro Series.

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series crowns champions it its Elite Division, as well as an Open Division.

The top drivers will be recognized at the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., in December, along with the champions from all of NASCAR’s touring series.

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Fittingly, against the backdrop of NASCAR’s International Motorsports Center — a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental and Design) Gold-Certified building — NASCAR President Mike Helton and International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy were on hand to unveil this latest initiative in the expansive NASCAR Green program.

The EV charging stations are part of a new multi-year partnership with Eaton Corporation, a Fortune 500 Company and global leader in EV infrastructure. Eaton will serve as the Official EV Charging Solution Provider of NASCAR Green.

“This partnership with Eaton Corporation is a major step forward for NASCAR Green,’’ said Dr. Mike Lynch, NASCAR managing director, green innovation, strategic development.  “It’s really significant for NASCAR and is literally allowing NASCAR to be a demonstration platform, a validation for Eaton’s electric vehicle charging business. NASCAR employees and guests are literally consuming the product.’’

The EV charging stations are a natural outgrowth of NASCAR’s far-reaching Green Initiative, that already includes powering its race cars with bio-fuels such as Sunoco Green E15 ethanol-infused fuel, the largest recycling program in sports and an emphasis on renewable energy.

And quite naturally, NASCAR prides itself on staying ahead of the trend in terms of hybrid vehicles and new Green opportunities.

Last season, NASCAR used an all-electric Ford Focus as the official pace car at the Richmond, Va. race — a first for the sport. This year, Ford is pacing both races at Michigan International Speedway with the Ford Fusion Energy Plug-in Hybrid.

Chevrolet is providing its popular Chevy Volts for initial use with the EV Charging Stations at the Daytona facility. And Lynch notes the other NASCAR manufacturer, Toyota, has long been a leader in Hybrid technology sales with its Toyota Prius Hybrid model.

One of Eaton’s executives, Johnny Miller, is a former racer — primarily in the Trans Am Series but also with NASCAR experience as well — and provides a unique perspective and insight on the partnership.

“As a former NASCAR driver, I have seen firsthand how motorsports are not only an incubator of significant technology advancements in transportation, but also a key platform in driving public awareness of the technologies,” said Miller, global client director, Eaton’s electrical business.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, EV infrastructure build-out is critical given its benefits include lowered Greenhouse Gas and particulate emissions, improved public health, increased energy security and lower operating cost per mile.

For example, based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy ratings (fueleconomy.gov), fully charging a Ford Focus EV every day for a year equates to saving 211 trees, which equates to the GHG emissions from five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. 

“This EV Charging system platform is like all the other programs whether biofuels, renewable energy, recycling, green air technology, tire recycling, it’s one step down a long a pathway,’’ Lynch said.

“We’re reflecting that from a NASCAR Green perspective. We see plug-in really matured to a point that it’s really about to take off and something we’re really paying attention to.

“It fits right in.’’

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