The tiremaker, who has been a sponsor in the race for roughly the last five years, is using the series as a way to boost brand awareness in the passenger and light truck markets.
SCCA Racer Jeff Courtney (left), stands with Kenda marketing manager Hank Chang (middle) and Bob Phoenix, Kenda’s vice president of sales for the automotive tire division (right).
“We’re well-known in the bicycle and motorcycle segments, but not as much in the passenger and light truck arena,” said Bob Phoenix, vice president of sales for Kenda’s automotive tire division. “We want to have our own racing program down the road, but for now we’re just working to get our name out there in the racing world.”
That, paired with a national advertising campaign, will help consumers to understand the high level of quality of Kenda’s passenger/LT tires, he said.
Courtney, who races with the Woodhouse Performance team, placed sixth out of 16 drivers at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course. Drivers completed 29 laps for a total of just over 65 miles. (Tire Review/Akron)