GHOST proudly announces its new partnership with NASCAR Xfinity Series team JD Motorsports and driver Bayley Currey.
The GRAMMY-winning Swedish rock outfit will be the primary sponsor for Currey’s No. 4 Chevrolet — a/k/a the “Papa 4 car” — to be unveiled at the United Rentals 200 at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, March 12—exactly one day after the release of the band’s hotly anticipated new album, IMPERA (Loma Vista Recordings).
This unique partnership marks the band’s first foray into American motorsports.
“I’m a musician myself,” says JD Motorsports VP of Sales & Marketing Tony Priscaro, “So it’s rocked working with Ghost and Loma Vista Recordings on this car. We can’t wait to put the pedal to the metal.’”
The design of the No. 4 Chevrolet tells the story of how this unprecedented partnership came together. The paint scheme features the band’s logo, along with their partners Loma Vista Recordings, Global Merchandising Services, Revolver Magazine and Rick Sales Entertainment (RSE).
The partnership is managed by marketing and content creation agency A.E. Engine with promotional support provided by Out of the Groove, and its host Eric Estepp. The Out of the Groove logo will also be featured on the No. 4 Chevrolet.
“Me and Craig (Baroncelli) at A.E. Engine are both huge fans of Ghost,” says Eric Estepp. “Fans know I love the band and wear Ghost shirts on my show regularly. I’m constantly getting comments on my channel or people coming up to me at the races talking about how much they love the band, too. So we knew this would be really exciting for the fans.”
“At A.E. Engine, we’re focused on bringing new partners and audiences to the sport,” says Craig Baroncelli, CEO and Publisher. “Eric actually introduced me to Ghost. We were texting back and forth about the new Ghost song and video – ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’ – when it was released in January and we quickly realized the new album – IMPERA – will be released one day prior to the Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway. At that point it was a no-brainer – we had to pursue this opportunity. I am just thankful Ghost and Loma Vista Recordings were so inspired by the idea. They are the ones that brought this car to life”.
The 25-year-old driver Currey is in his first full-time year with JD Motorsports, but he’s no stranger to Phoenix Raceway, including having made a Cup Series start there in 2019, as well as in the Xfinity series in more recent years. Currey finished seventh in last March’s LS Track 250 Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway.
“I’m ready to rock,” says Currey. “I’m excited about this one, and I know the boys at the shop are excited about this one too, we have a lot of metal fans on our team. Once we heard a deal was imminent, we started working on the cars to Ghost songs. With Ghost on my car, I am ready to take on the world.”
The United Rentals 200 is live on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) on Saturday, March 12 at 4:30pm EST.
Ghost’s latest album IMPERA is released on March 11, 2022.
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JD Motorsports
Team Owner Johnny Davis first began fielding the No. 4 car in what is now the Xfinity Series in 1983 with Joe Henry Thurman as the driver. From 1983-1985, Davis and Thurman competed in 41 races and put the JD Motorsports name on the map. Although JDM has seen a sharp rise in on-track performance in the past few years, success is nothing new to this team. Years of good drivers and excellent runs have paved the way for what JDM is today. www.teamjdmotorsports.com
A.E. Engine
Founded in 2005 by sports publishing and marketing executives, A.E. Engine has earned a reputation for creating quality, impact publications, digital media, websites and events. A.E. engine specializes in delivering premium content to the most core, passionate fans. www.ae-engine.com
Out of the Groove
Out of the Groove is the No. 1 NASCAR News and Talk Show on YouTube. With fresh episodes produced five times weekly, host Eric Estepp’s audience — the Groovy Gang — tunes in daily not only to stay up to speed with the sport, but also to be a part of the spirited and fun online conversation. www.groovymotorsports.com
