SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Dec. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DENSO in North America signed on to sponsor six-time Top Fuel World Champion Clay Millican for the 2017 24-race National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) racing season. Millican, an advocate of road safety, will help promote DENSO's safety efforts in North America as the company works to help cut traffic fatalities by 50 percent. DENSO also will return as title rights sponsor of the 2017 DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, held March 31-April 2, 2017, at The Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Millican will be a featured guest in DENSO's booth during the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 18, 2017, for Education Day. Millican will spend time with students, offering safe driving tips and showing off his top fuel dragster, which will be on display for the show's duration.
"DENSO in North America is thrilled to sponsor Clay Millican," said Julie Kerr, senior manager of Corporate Communication for DENSO International America, Inc. "He's not only a champion drag racer, but an important voice for automotive safety – an area of utmost importance to DENSO. We're proud to have him on our team. This partnership reflects DENSO's passion and ongoing support for motor sports – not only by providing quality dependable products, but by backing those who care deeply about vehicle safety."
Winning his first race at age 16, Millican has gone on to win six consecutive World Championships and is noted as the winningest driver in International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) history with 52 national event wins. Like sponsor DENSO, he continues to set high goals, including a famed Wally, the trophy awarded to winners of an NHRA national event.
"DENSO has a great history of sponsoring world-class motor sports for almost 50 years with NHRA, NASCAR, Formula One, World Rally Championship and Super GT races," Millican said. "I am ready to be a part of that history and represent DENSO at the track."
DENSO spark plugs, alternators, radiators and engine management systems are among the precision original equipment and replacement auto parts widely used by professional racing teams on every circuit around the globe.
From 100,000 miles to 150 mph, DENSO has spark plugs to meet the needs of every driver. For more information, visit http://densoautoparts.com/spark-plugs.
Clay Millican Model Dragster Giveaway
DENSO will be giving away a Clay Millican NHRA Model Dragster (1:24 scale) to the first 25 people on the public days of the show who tag DENSO in North America's Facebook page with a photo of themselves in the DENSO booth.
About DENSO in North America
DENSO is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. With its North American headquarters located in Southfield, Michigan, DENSO employs more than 23,000 people at 30 consolidated companies and affiliates across the North American region. Of these, 28 are manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs more than 15,000 people in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Iowa, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. DENSO's North American consolidated sales totaled US$9.9 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016. For more information, go to www.densocorp-na.com. Connect with DENSO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DENSOinNorthAmerica
DENSO Worldwide
DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs more than 150,000 people worldwide. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, totaled US$40.2 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 8.8 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.denso.com, or visit our media website at www.denso.com/global/en/news/media-center/
About DENSO's North American Aftermarket Group
DENSO's North American aftermarket group supplies parts for original equipment service dealers, independent aftermarket service centers and retailers. In addition, the company distributes heavy-duty diesel and electrical components, portable commercial air-conditioning units and industrial robots. The company employs approximately 500 people in Long Beach and Murrieta, California. The company's product line includes heavy-duty and automotive alternators, starters, oil, cabin and air filters, spark plugs, AC compressors, oxygen sensors, ignition wires, fuel pumps, fuel injectors and wiper blades. For more information, go to www.densoautoparts.com. Connect with DENSO Auto Parts on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/densoautoparts/.
SOURCE DENSO Corporation