Michael Waltrip Racing announced today that Mark Martin and Michael Waltrip’s car number will be No. 55 when the duo share driving duties in the Aaron’s Dream Machine in the 2012 and 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup seasons.
Aaron’s Inc. switched the car number from No. 00 to No. 55 to commemorate its founding in 1955.
“This is a new era for the Aaron’s Dream Machine. Adding Mark and Michael created the perfect time to switch the number to 55 in honor of Aaron’s founding by Charlie Loudermilk in 1955,” said Ken Butler, chief operating officer. “The number 55 means so much to our employees and now they’ll see it at every track across the nation and on television for the next few years.”
Martin will drive in 25 Sprint Cup events each of the next two seasons, sharing the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine with Waltrip who will drive five events with Aaron’s sponsorship. Martin will join Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. in the MWR stable of drivers.
Martin will begin his tenure with MWR at the 2012 Daytona 500. Waltrip will run the remaining restrictor plate races plus the race in his home state of Kentucky. MWR plans to run a combination of drivers and sponsor partners to fill the remaining races when Martin and Waltrip are not behind the wheel.
“I love this choice,” said Martin. “The car number means a lot to the driver. We talked about a variety of available numbers, but we settled on 55 because of the importance to Aaron’s. Michael has a history with this number as well. ”
Waltrip raced the No. 55 at Bill Davis Racing in 2006 and again during the 2007 and 2008 seasons in the first two years of MWR’s existence.
“This means a lot to me,” said Waltrip. “I know how much we have grown since those days when I first started racing the No. 55. To get back into the No. 55 Toyota in 2012 and share driving duties with a future first ballot hall of famer in Mark Martin is certainly an honor.”
Aaron’s relationship with Michael Waltrip Racing began in 2000 when the Atlanta-based company sponsored six races for Waltrip’s Nationwide team. The relationship grew from a partial Nationwide program to one of the most recognizable Cup partnerships in the sport with aggressive activation and extensive usage of Waltrip and MWR in television and radio commercials.
About Aaron’s, Inc.
Aaron’s, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), the nation’s leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has more than 1,900 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. Founded in 1955 by entrepreneur R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr. and headquartered in Atlanta, Aaron’s has been publicly traded since 1982. For more information, visit http://www.aarons.com/.
