Defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse sported the name “Wabash” proudly on it as it blazed past the victory line in Pocono on Sunday. The industrial manufacturing company founded in 1985 and headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana was Blaney’s sponsor for the race. The story of how the sponsorship came to be is one worth telling.
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When Wabash was founded it was a small semi-trailer manufacturing company created by a team of transportation professionals. It expanded over the decades and now provides more than just logistics solutions to customers in commercial transportation, food and beverage, biotech, and so on. In 2015, the Wabash National Corporation exceeded $2 billion in revenue.
Becoming a major force in the industrial manufacturing industry is bound to draw powerful eyes. One set of eyes that Wabash drew was that of Roger Penske. The motorsports giant was a long-term client of the company and the inevitable took place in 2018. Wabash signed on to sponsor then Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski before connecting with Blaney in 2019.
Add another one to the books.
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Congratulations to @Blaney and @team_penske for an incredible win at Pocono! We are proud to be a @team_penske sponsor for this race in the NASCAR Cup Series.#OneWabash #TeamPenske #PAGetaway400 pic.twitter.com/sysk2H9gp5
— Wabash (NYSE: WNC) (@OneWabash) July 14, 2024
The 2023 Cup Series champion and the company have found great success together over the years as recently showcased in the tricky triangle. The partnership is not just about putting a sticker on a race car for Wabash. Its VP of Corporate Marketing put it to Journal and Courier in 2019, “It’s a platform for us to create relationships with racing, and to work to build those relationships.”
In 2024, the company was named for the second consecutive time in Forbes’ list of most successful small-cap companies. It was ranked at 29th place out of the over 1,000 companies that were judged. Wabash takes particular pride in the innovation that it has brought to the transportation industry. A couple of its introductions are the DuraPlate composite panel and EcoNex Technology.
The niche to which Wabash caters overlaps the requirements of racing a lot. This is why the continued success of its association with Team Penske will further its purpose. Blaney has safely secured his playoff spot this season with the win in Pocono and heads to Indianapolis next. Employees at the company headquarters wouldn’t mind taking a trip to watch their favorite star in action so close to home.
