2012 OPTIMA® Ultimate Street Car Invitational Regional Qualifying Events Announced
Select regional performance automotive events offer opportunity to compete in exclusive industry Invitational
Feb. 6, 2012 (MILWAUKEE) - Now going into its fifth year, the OPTIMA® Ultimate Street Car Invitational, has evolved to become one of the most highly anticipated and widely covered events in the automotive performance world. Today, OPTIMA Batteries announces the first round of events that will serve as qualifiers to compete later this year. During the qualifying events, participants can earn the opportunity to compete in the now world-famous OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational, which takes place annually in Nevada immediately following the SEMA Show.
The 2012 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational qualifying events are:
- Run to the Alamo (San Marcos, TX): February 17-19
- Run to the Coast (Irvine, CA): March 9-11
- The OPTIMA® Faceoff at HOT ROD Power Tour* (Arlington, TX): June 9th
- The OPTIMA® Faceoff at Road America* (Elkhart Lake, WI): June 22-24
- Motorstate Challenge (South Haven, MI): July 13-15
- The OPTIMA® Faceoff at Sandhills Open Road Challenge* (Hastings, NE) August 8-12
- LSFest (Bowling Green, KY): September 7-9
- Silver State Classic Challenge* (Ely, NV): September 12-16
- Lingenfelter Performance Engineering Nationals (Norwalk, OH): September 21-23
Qualifying events are open to the public and offer a great way for automotive enthusiasts to preview the top talent that will move on to OPTIMA's Ultimate Street Car Invitational. Each regional qualifying event will follow a format similar to the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational with a combination of segments to include autocross; road course; braking and acceleration; style & design competition and road rally; and additional activities, which will vary per event. The OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational implements regional qualifying events in order to increase diversity among vehicles, drivers and enthusiast segments. OPTIMA encourages all street-legal vehicle year, makes and models to participate.
"We are always humbled by the talent that comes out for our events. In addition to the skilled participants, it also brings awareness to the enthusiast dedication and passion within the aftermarket performance automotive industry," says Cam Douglass, director of product development and marketing for OPTIMA Batteries. "If the regional events from last year are any indication of what's in store for 2012, I think it's safe to say that each of these events will turn out some amazing entrants."
Some of the top placing competitors from the 2011 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational were discovered at regional qualifier events, including the Invitational winner Danny Popp, who was a regional qualifier from the 2011 Motor State Challenge.
For more information on the qualifying events, the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational and ways to get involved as a participant volunteer or sponsor, please visit www.optimainvitational.com.
About OPTIMA® Batteries
OPTIMA YellowTop®, RedTop® and BlueTop® batteries are available through leading battery distributors throughout the globe. Consumers should look for the unique colored top and six-pack design for which OPTIMA is known throughout the world. For the nearest retailer, consumers can also call 1-888-8OPTIMA (1-888-867-8462) or visit www.optimabatteries.com.
OPTIMA batteries are manufactured by Johnson Controls, Inc. Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI - News) is the global leader that brings ingenuity to the places where people live, work and travel. By integrating technologies, products and services, we create smart environments that redefine the relationships between people and their surroundings. Our team of 140,000 employees creates a more comfortable, safe and sustainable world through our products and services for more than 200 million vehicles, 12 million homes and one million commercial buildings. Our commitment to sustainability drives our environmental stewardship, good corporate citizenship in our workplaces and communities, and the products and services we provide to customers. For additional information, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com.
