O’Quinn ready to Power through the field at Nashville
Mooresville, N.C. – Reigning NASCAR Busch Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Danny O’Quinn Jr. returns to Music City USA on Saturday—and this time he’s bringing along a powerful ally.
That’s Knoxville, Tenn.-based Power Equipment Company, which will be the primary sponsor of Mac Hill Motorsports’ No. 56 Chevy Monte Carlo SS at Nashville Superspeedway for the Federated Auto Parts 300 presented by Dollar General.
The race will be the third Mac Hill start this season for O’Quinn. The Roush Fenway Racing driver will compete in a limited number of races this year for Mac Hill.
O’Quinn finished 23rd at Nashville on April 7, but engine trouble hampered the 56 car all day. So, Mac Hill owner Jack McNelly said, “We’re anxious to go out and kind of redeem ourselves. Hopefully, we can have a good run for Power Equipment Company.”
And though the finish in April wasn’t what the driver or team wanted, O’Quinn said the Mac Hill crew learned a lot that should help them this weekend. Also on the team’s side is the fact that Nashville is one of the driver’s favorite tracks on the Busch schedule.
“Anytime I can race there, I like to,” O’Quinn said.
Saturday will be the third time Power has sponsored the No. 56. The company, which sells, services and rents construction, earthmoving, forestry, crane, material handling and demolition equipment, liked the taste of NASCAR it got last year at Bristol and Memphis and wanted to do more after hearing a tremendous response from customers and learning that the opportunity to sponsor the Mac Hill team would be available again.
“We jumped on it,” said Andy Moon, Power’s vice president of sales.
So in addition to Saturday’s race, Power will also be the 56 car’s primary sponsor at races in Memphis and Bristol later this year, and its sister company, Brandeis Machinery and Supply Company, will sponsor the 56 at Kentucky and Indianapolis.
“Hopefully, this will be the start of something we can make a long-term relationship out of,” O’Quinn said.
On Saturday, Power will sponsor a hospitality area that will give executives a chance to show their appreciation to customers, and to increase brand awareness.
Racing is a popular pursuit for those in the construction industry, said Ben Sparks, regional sales manager in Nashville, so sponsoring Mac Hill’s Monte Carlo will put the Power logo in front of a lot of interested eyes. The idea, he said, is that customers will see Power’s sponsorship and figure, “If these guys can do that, they’re all right.”
“There’s no doubt that our customers are very much fans of the NASCAR circuit,” said company President Chris Gaylor, who added that Power even took the opportunity to debut a new corporate logo at Bristol last year.
One of Power’s major suppliers, Komatsu, is participating in the sponsorship and corresponding hospitality area on Saturday, as well. Komatsu holds many of the same values as NASCAR, including recognizing the importance of using state-of-the-art technology and providing unequaled customer service.
The Federated Auto Parts 300 will be broadcast on ESPN2. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. EDT (5:30 p.m. CDT), and the race starts at 7 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. CDT).
About Power Equipment Company
Power Equipment is the only full-line equipment distributor serving the entire Tennessee market. The company operates branch dealerships in Knoxville, Kingsport, Chattanooga, Memphis and Nashville, and in Tupelo, Miss. In addition to a full line of equipment sales and rentals, Power Equipment offers 24/7 service powered by a fleet of service trucks equipped with air compressors, welders, cranes, and specialized tools for on-site diagnostic and repairs service. Power Equipment is a subsidiary of Bramco Inc. along with Brandeis Machinery and Supply Company, which is headquartered in Louisville, Ky. For more information on Power Equipment, please see powerequipco.com.
And for more information on Danny O’Quinn Jr. and Mac Hill Motorsports, please visit dannyoquinn.com and machillmotorsports.com.