The Farm American Chevrolet will be on track at the Brickyard 400 Sprint Cup race in Indianapolis on Sunday.
You may recall the unveiling of this concept car by Furniture Row Racing last year at the American Farm Bureau Federation public relations conference. It was also on display at the 2010 National Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City.
On Sunday, Regan Smith’s Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet will be paying tribute to the American farmer and rancher at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a paint scheme and program promoting the importance of U.S. agriculture. Known as the No. 78 Farm American Chevrolet, the multicolored car of green, yellow, blue and white will depict farm life on the hood along with the program theme on the rear quarter panel of ‘Cultivating the Future’.
Barney Visser, team owner and chief executive officer of Furniture Row Companies, compares what has happened in the furniture industry to the threats facing the American farmer and rancher.
“The number of job losses in the American furniture industry due to unfair competitive practices by international governments has been devastating,” stated Visser. “To see the same trends occurring in our food supply, leaving us subjected to possible interruptions and unequal standards is something we see as worth fighting for.
“I don’t want America to fall asleep on this issue – this is where America needs to come together. I believe in the free market system, but we’re not free when we ask our farmers and ranchers to compete against foreign governments and potentially harmful standards that put us and our families at risk.”
The United Soybean Board (USB) is the only other sponsor to jump into a partnership with the Farm American car at this time. Furniture Row Racing is hoping other suppliers and industry organizations will help share in the support for this team.
Until then, Furniture Row Companies will be underwriting a majority of the Farm American sponsorship at Indianapolis and also at two additional Sprint Cup races – Aug. 21 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Oct. 10 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
“The United Soybean Board and soybean checkoff applaud Furniture Row Racing’s efforts to help protect farmers, ranchers and our food supply,” said USB Director Keith Dunn, a soybean farmer from Yale, Va. “By partnering with the Farm American car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway — the heart of the soybean belt — we can inform racing fans of the major role U.S. soy and other U.S. agricultural products play in helping provide our nation’s families with a safe, sustainable and reliable supply of food.”