WIX Filters, the #1 Filter in NASCAR, formally extended its relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing through the 2012 NASCAR season as the Official Filter of Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Our 17-year relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing has grown along with the success of the team and their stable of drivers,” said Jeff Blocher, brand manager for WIX Filters. “We were there when Coach Gibbs first got started in the sport in 1991, when he won his first championship with Bobby Labonte in 2000, and again when Tony Stewart won championships in 2002 and 2005. We’re happy to stay on board to help in their quest for another series title.”

WIX Filters became an industrial member of the National Association of Stock Car Racing in 1968. In 1991, during Joe Gibbs Racing’s first year in NASCAR, WIX Filters built a relationship with the race team by providing a broad depth of resources at the track and a multi-faceted approach to its research with motorsports teams.

JGR has grown since 1991 from one team and 15 employees to three Sprint Cup teams, two Nationwide Series teams, a driver development program and nearly 450 employees, and WIX Filters has been along for every step of the journey.

“Our relationship with WIX Filters has been an integral part of our success during the past 17 years,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “The technical expertise and support they provide, along with the quality of their filters, takes one more thing off our plate that we don’t have to worry about on race day.”

WIX’s partnership with JGR grew even closer during the team’s transition to Toyota in 2007. WIX’s partnership with Toyota Racing Development extends to the manufacturer’s beginning in NASCAR, and includes the design and supply of WIX filters for all Toyota vehicles racing in every NASCAR series, including the Camry and Tundra. Through WIX’s early and extensive work and testing with Toyota Racing Development, the brand’s engineers were able to provide the perfect filter solutions for JGR’s Camrys.

The work and testing conducted by WIX’s engineers at the track all ties back to product development for the filters and filter components they design for regular cars and trucks. This knowledge leads to the engineering of filters that can handle the most extreme environments found not only in racing, but in heavy duty and over-the-road applications.

Since 1939, Wix® Filters has been an innovator in filtration products. WIX designs, manufactures and distributes products for automotive, diesel, agricultural, industrial and specialty filter markets. Its product line includes oil, air, cabin interior, fuel, coolant, transmission and hydraulic filters for automobiles, trucks and off-road equipment. WIX, a member of the Affinia family of brands, is the number one filter in NASCAR and an exclusive NASCAR Performance Product. Its NASCAR relationship also includes the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award, which recognizes the drivers leading the most laps in each race. For more information, visit www.wixfilters.com.

Affinia Group Inc. is a global leader in the on- and off-highway replacement products and service industries. In North America the Affinia family of brands includes WIX® filters, Raybestos®, AIMCO® and BrakePro® brake products, and McQuay-Norris® and Spicer® chassis parts. South American and European brands include Nakata®, Filtron®, Urba® and Quinton Hazell®. For more information, visit www.affiniagroup.com.

Wray Ward