GGRT RETURNS HOME TO SONOMA WITH NEW SPONSORSHIP

Bill Sullivan / Golden Gate Racing

SONOMA, CA  (6-25-11) – Based in the San Francisco, the Golden Gate Racing Team is one of few in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West that can call the Infineon Raceway its home track. This week, the veteran team is ready to come home to the road course in the wine country with a brand new sponsorship and great momentum following a recent top five finish at the Bullring in Vegas.

As they always look forward for the opportunity to race close to home, near many of their family members and supporters, the Golden Gate Racing Team is looking forward to the Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200 more than ever. For the first time since its inception, RCR Street Performance is entering the world of NASCAR West Series sponsorship and the GGRT #21 Chevrolet driven my Utah’s Michael Self will do the honors of carrying the prestigious new look.

“We are very honored and excited to have RCR Street Performance step aboard the Golden Gate Racing Team in Sonoma,” said Jim Offenbach, owner of the Golden Gate Racing Team which carries the ongoing support of Richard Childress Driver Development.  “RCR Street Performance has developed a great product and it is truly an honor to represent them in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.”

Early in his career, Childress spent most of his days hand-crafting his own race car chassis and custom-building his own motors, he was consumed with one thing - racing. In fact, he'd spend all week working on his car, he would run it on the bullring racetracks of the Carolinas during the weekend, and then drive all night to get back to work on Monday morning. This passion made him an icon of the sport. Childress has since won more than 190 races and 12 major NASCAR championships as a team. With his success, the Childress name has become synonymous with racing. He forged a legacy the only way they are built in the sport of champions, one race at a time, year after year. He didn't dream of a legacy. He built one with his very own hands and continues to do so today by hand selecting those that drive and work for him on each of his winning teams.

Now, Childress is applying his passion and winning tradition to the street. He wants to build the same trust in the street performance world that he has the in the race world. He knows it will not be easy, but his plan is to build it one car at a time. RCR Street Performance sources, manufactures, installs, tests, and tunes the highest quality performance products for the new Chevy Camaro. They accomplish this by translating the know-how of RCR engine builders, chassis specialists, fabricators and engineers into their products with a hands-on approach.

"We are very proud to present this special Camaro, this has been a vision of mine for quite some time," said Childress. "To see this high performance beauty come to life is truly a thrill every time I see it and drive it. It will give you chills over and over again."

While Offenbach is excited to carry the RCR Street Performance brand on his car and team into Infineon, he is just as excited as Childress about the products they are producing. With a true love for fine automobiles and high performance, Offenbach has already put in his order for his very own custom street Camaro that is now in production.

"I sat in Richard's Camaro and, well, that was all it took and I put my order in, these things are absolutely beautiful," said Offenbach. "They are building mine right now, it’s a special one called the 'Jimi Z Special'. With 750 horsepower under the hood, needless to say I can't wait until it's done and I can bring to a race for everyone to see."

While Offenbach may soon be reducing his commute time by a considerable amount to his Golden Meat Company North in Santa Rosa, his driver is just as excited to be representing RCR Street Performance. At the beginning of the year, Self was officially named as an RCR Development Driver and he is truly honored to carry the brand that has such strong sentimental meaning to Childress, who has been an icon to Self and the NASCAR community for decades.

“Getting the opportunity to represent RCR Street Performance is a huge honor for me,” said Self, who recently advanced to sixth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Standings. “They have such a great program and incredible product, it’s exciting for all of us to get to show it off. This is going be a great weekend."

Infineon Raceway is one of the most unique tracks on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West tour. Nestled in the hills of Sonoma, the 1.99 mile course has many hills entwined within its sharp twists and turns. While it offers many challenges, Self is a master on the road course due to his vast karting background and he is ready for the challenge and possibly a hometown win for the team for which he praises race after race for their great guidance.

“Sonoma is definitely my favorite track that we go to. I had an awesome run there with my old team so I am excited to return with the Golden Gate Racing Team and RCR. Hopefully I can improve my luck there,” said Self. "We’re coming off a great run at The Bullring when I feel like we finally have some momentum going so I think we’ll be able to transfer that to the road course and gain a few more spots in this championship.”

Entering the Sonoma event, Self is sixth place in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings. He currently trails the top five by three points and is 237 points behind the point leader. As he stated, a top run in Sonoma could very well be the catalyst this team needs to make a stellar run towards the regional title.

In addition to the new representation of RCR Street Performance, the #21 Golden Gate Racing Team/RCR Chevrolet carries the sponsorship of Richard Childress Driver Development, Bay Bio Diesel and the Golden Gate Meat Company. Associate sponsors that support them are the Richard Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma, Hill Meat Company, Corte Madera Tow, Harraka Racing Equipment Sales, Foodcomm International, Signco, Praxair and JW Web Design.

For an in-depth look at the Golden Gate Racing Team and additional news, visit their official website at www.goldengateracingteam.com. For more information on RCR Street Performance check out their informative website at www.rcrstreetperformance.com.  To learn more about the Richard Childress Racing Driver Development program visit www.rcrracing.com Michael Self's personal website can be found at www.michaelselfracing.com. All four entities can also be found on facebook, friend them today and keep up with all the breaking news.

Michael Self Racing is brought to you by: MSquared, and Blakesley Sports Media. Sponsorship and media inquiries can be forwarded to Steven Blakesley at (916) 316-4854.

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