First Look at 20^th Anniversary Car to Commemorate NASCAR’s Longest Running Sponsor Partnership

WILMINGTON, Del., May 31, 2012 – Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon helped DuPont unveil a new 20^th Anniversary paint scheme on his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet at the headquarters of DuPont Performance Coatings during the 2012 DuPont NASCAR Day celebration.   Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports and DuPont are celebrating their 20^th full season together – the longest current running driver/owner/sponsor partnership in NASCAR.

The new paint scheme was designed by NASCAR’s first officially licensed artist Sam Bass.  It uses the popular DuPont™ ChromaPremier® Pro high performance paint system, in a spectacular color known as  Hot Hues™ Cosmic Dust Silver Metallic No. 24.

DuPont Performance Coatings products have been a constant during the storied career of Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports. It was the Performance Coatings business that first took a chance on sponsoring Gordon — as a young, unproven rookie driver — to showcase its automotive finishes in brilliant fashion.

It was the last race of the 1992 season when Gordon’s iconic rainbow-colored No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet burst onto the  NASCAR Cup Series scene at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.   The following season, Gordon started to take the motorsports world by storm.  Now, with four championships and 85 career victories under his belt, Gordon is eager to race the new “celebratory” car design.  It will run only once: in the 2012 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway this November.  That race marks the official 20th anniversary of Gordon’s first race in partnership with DuPont.

“I’m very fortunate to have an incredible sponsor like DuPont that has invested so much in me and this No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team.  To stick with one driver and one team and to still be here with us today celebrating our 20^th full season, is really incredible,” said Gordon.

“We are proud to have our DuPont™ ChromaPremier® Pro paint on the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet with one of NASCAR’s all-time greats,” said John McCool, president of DuPont Performance Coatings.  “Twenty years is a unique relationship in NASCAR and it shows that the business of racing has been good business for DuPont and our customers”

Gordon has long been recognized by DuPont as a valuable corporate asset and spokesman.

“Jeff Gordon has been the ideal ambassador for the DuPont brand for nearly two decades,” said Scott Coleman, chief marketing and sales officer for DuPont.  “He is a consummate professional and a true champion both on and off the track.”

Gordon has his sights set on one thing when racing the 20^th Anniversary paint scheme on the No. 24 Chevrolet later this year – winning.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully taking this special DuPont 20 Years paint scheme to Victory Lane in November to thank all of the amazing DuPont employees and customers who I’ve come to know like family and who have supported me loyally over the past two decades,” continued Gordon.