Travis Shumake announced Sheetz, a family-owned convenience store chain based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, as primary sponsor on the Randy Meyer Racing owned Top Alcohol Dragster for the upcoming NHRA Pep Boys Nationals in Reading, PA and NHRA Betway Nationals in Charlotte, NC. Known for both their customer service and creative marketing, the Sheetz dragster boldly asks the question “Why the Sheetz not?” and includes eighties comic book style graphics on Shumake’s car, fire suit, and helmet.
Shumake will make a pre-race appearance at a Reading and Charlotte area Sheetz to promote his participation in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series as well as meeting with Sheetz fans chosen to attend the races through the company’s social media channels.
“I just keep saying Holy Sheetz!” exclaimed Shumake. “I’ve knocked on a lot of doors these past 18 months. To have a huge name like Sheetz open the door and commit to doing it in Sheetz style with the sweepstake and crazy car wrap is a dream. It’s goofy, big hearted, and a little extra…just like me.”
This will be the first time Sheetz, a customer-centric destination for more than gas and snacks which is open 24/7/365, has ventured into NHRA with an on-track marketing partnership. Previously, with the help of Jackie Fricke and John Finke, they partnered with Shumake for Pride month producing a widely viewed social media campaign along with a $100,000 donation to True Colors United. Most recently on-track Shumake made his national event debut at the Menards Nationals where he qualified No. 11 and dropped a close first round race to Jasmine Salinas. “Both cars are running great. With Julie (Nataas) winning the Jegs All-stars & the US Nationals and Hunter (Green) clocking several mid 5.20’s in my dragster, the team is confident we will do well these next few weekends.”
The Sheetz & Shumake relationship will also reach into the community as Sheetz has purchased tickets for a groups of local foster families for both races. As a former foster parent, Shumake has been a longtime advocate for youth experiencing homelessness. Sheetz is committed to their local communities and quickly agreed to Travis’ idea. “We want more fans. We want new fans, and we want young fans. They are the future of our sport. The families coming to the track know nothing about the sport and I am eager to get them addicted to Nitro.”
“We are excited to join with Travis for these races in Reading and Charlotte,” said Sheetz Vice President of Marketing and Brand Ryan Sheetz. “We know that race fans are often great Sheetz customers and that they’ll be excited to see this car on the track. We’re also looking forward to continuing the great work that we started with Travis earlier this summer.”
The Sheetz Top Alcohol Dragster will be on track beginning in September at the Pep Boys Nationals, September 15-18, with a return engagement at the Betway Nationals, September 23-25 with Randy Meyer Racing.
About Sheetz, Inc.
Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Sheetz, Inc. is one of America’s fastest-growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains with more than 24,000 employees. The company operates over 660 store locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina. Sheetz provides an award-winning menu of M•T•O® sandwiches and salads, which are ordered through unique touch-screen order point terminals. All Sheetz convenience stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Sheetz is committed to offering employees sustainable careers built on an inspiring culture and community engagement. For more information, visit www.sheetz.com or follow us on Twitter (@sheetz), Facebook (www.facebook.com/sheetz) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/sheetz).
