Worldwide Express and Trackhouse are ready to “Double Down” this weekend at Martinsville Speedway for the NOCO 400.
Both cars are sponsored by the WWEX group of brands, one of the key partners for Trackhouse.
Ross Chastain will drive the No. 1 Unishippers Chevrolet, under the banner of WWEX Racing, a motorsports program comprising Worldwide Express and its sister brands of Unishippers and GlobalTranz.
This will be the first time Chastain drives the Unishippers livery. He will also carry the brand on his Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway in September.
“Unishippers is our award-winning franchise channel, where more than 200 franchises across the country connect businesses to the freight and parcel solutions they need,” said Alissa Cherry, Vice President of Brand and Content Marketing the WWEX brands. “Our franchise model is purpose-built for driven, passionate entrepreneurs who want to create their own success and break down boundaries of what’s possible as a business owner.”
Daniel Suárez will drive the No. 99 Worldwide Express paint scheme at Martinsville for the first time in 2023. His Chevrolet will be painted in the blue and black colors that are the trademarks of the Dallas-based global logistics group.
The WWEX brands will be featured on Chastain's No. 1 Chevrolet in 19 races and three times on Suárez's No. 99 in 2023.
It’s been a strategic growth pattern for the WWEX group of brands in NASCAR, starting with its involvement in the Craftsman Truck Series and climbing into NASCAR’s premier series, the Cup Series, last year with Trackhouse Racing. The company debuted in the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. WWEX Racing appeared on Chastain and Suárez’s car 11 times last season.
“Every week we cheer on both Ross and Daniel because regardless of what scheme they have on their cars, they’re one team, and we’re proud to be part of it,” Cherry said. “But for this week in particular, it’s exciting to be able to truly have a stake in the game for both of them, each with their own unique, eye-catching design and message, but still racing toward the same goal.
“Last year, Worldwide Express benefited from its exposure on the Nos. 1 and 99 and we’re excited to hear the support that both Unishippers and GlobalTranz are getting when the fans see their respective schemes. We’ve always known that we have three powerhouse brands, and it’s an exciting opportunity to have others start to see that, too.”
Since its debut, Worldwide Express has utilized the program for marketing, social/digital media campaigns, customer hosting and hospitality including VIP events with Chastain and Suárez and created numerous business-to-business relationships which fuel the success of the program.
“Having two cars on track further drives awareness of our brands and the value we provide through both our direct and indirect channels for business shippers of all sizes,” Cherry said. “Our key goals for the WWEX Racing program this year include creating brand recognition through our dramatic blue cars, educating on the combined value of our brands and increasing understanding g of what we do and deliver as a company.
“With Worldwide Express, our flagship direct sales channel, we’re changing the face of what it means to be a logistics provider and disrupting our industry with proactive partnership, creative problem-solving and a commitment to continuous improvement. We’re delivering enterprise-level solutions and support to everyone, because we believe that the best outcomes shouldn’t only be reserved for the ‘big guys.’
“Much like the Trackhouse philosophy, our teams work together across brands to combine expertise and best practices to deliver unmatched results.”
Alissa Cherry, Vice President of Brand and Content Marketing the WWEX brands
It’s a rarity in the NASCAR Cup Series when two cars on the same team are sponsored by the same company, but it’s not unusual in other forms of racing.
Formula One (F1) consists of 10 teams with two cars each. Many of those teams, such as Red Bull Racing, feature the same colors or nearly identical colors on each of the two entries.
Per F1 rules, both cars must be presented in substantially the same livery at each event. The teams name or emblem must appear on the nose of the car as well as the driver’s name.
Each driver must have a helmet consistent with the team branding, but teammates’ helmets must also feature distinctive markings.
Back in the days of tobacco sponsorship, F1 teams that were sponsored by a tobacco brand had the same livery on both cars.
That was also the case in CART and IndyCar racing in prior to the prohibition of tobacco sponsorship in the early 2000s.
The famed Marlboro Team Penske of the 1990s often featured three cars in identical paint schemes featuring two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time F1 world champion. Emerson Fittipaldi, two-time Indy 500 winner and two-time CART champion Al Unser, Jr., and Paul Tracy.
Team Penske often added subtle differences, such as differently colored numbers and roll hoops to differentiate between the drivers.
Also, before the advent of cockpit protection such as the Halo and IndyCar’s Aeroscreen, the drivers’ heads were fully exposed, and each wore helmets that were their own special designs to make it easier for the spectators to identify the particular drivers.
Team Kool Green and Players were other CART teams that featured the same livery to promote their sponsors.
Newman-Haas Racing featured Mario Andretti and Michael Andretti with similar paint schemes to promote its sponsors, Kmart and Texaco Havoline. In 1993 and 1994, F1 world champion Nigel Mansell joined the team with Michael Andretti moving over to McLaren F1 for one season in 1993.
Mansell’s car featured a red No. 5 and a white roll hoop, while Andretti’s car was a red No. 6 with a red roll hoop. Mansell’s sidepods said “Havoline” while Andretti’s sidepods said “Texaco.”
In today’s NTT IndyCar Series, sponsor AutoNation is featured on two different teams in selected races included the No. 27 driven by Kyle Kirkwood at Andretti Autosport and the Meyer Shank Racing cars raced by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and 2019 Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud.
The most famous team that featured the same sponsor on both cars was Junior Johnson Racing when Budweiser was on both Darrell Waltrip’s No. 11 Chevrolet and Neil Bonnett’s No. 12 Chevrolet from 1984 to 1986.
The key difference is Waltrip’s Chevrolet featured a predominantly white car body and Bonnett’s Chevy was predominantly red.
That helped keep many NASCAR fans from “seeing double” when it came to the same sponsor on both cars.
