BAPS Motor Speedway inks three-year deal with the 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division, will install Whelen Safety Lights

It’s been an eventful and lucrative offseason for BAPS Motor Speedway owner Scott Gobrecht and general manager Kolten Gouse.

Not only did the tandem sell the naming rights to Susquehanna Speedway to BAPS Auto Paint and Supply, they recently announced the construction of six luxury suites along the frontstretch.

The deal with BAPS continues to pay off for the Newberrytown oval. A third corporate sponsor is coming aboard, with this one affecting drivers and teams.

Gobrecht and Gouse announced Friday that BAPS Motor Speedway has inked a three-year deal with the 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division, which will allow the track to start installing Whelen safety lights in 2018.

“One of our big things is that we want to make the speedway as safe as it can be for our competitors,” Gouse said. “The first year with 3M is going to allow us to put in Whelen safety lights and do that.

“This is not only going to be added safety for the drivers, it’s going to make our officials and fans more aware of what is going on around the speedway.”

Whelen safety lights are used at asphalt tracks around the country that host NASCAR and IndyCar events. They are also used at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Thanks to 3M, BAPS Motor Speedway joins that elite list. The company is also the third major corporate sponsor to join the speedway’s portfolio in the last two seasons. BAPS upped its commitment this offseason, and Sprint Cellular came aboard at the beginning of the 2017 season.

“I think it says a lot about what we are doing,” Gouse said. “We are, obviously, making an impression on companies out there.

“To have companies like BAPS, PPG, Sprint, and 3M invest in our vision, it’s taking the facility to another level.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but when companies like this are backing you and moving us forward in safety and capital improvements, it says a lot about our business. It says a lot about the vision we have for the speedway.”

Having 3M on board adds prestige to the speedway. The company was founded in 1902 and currently employs over 90,000 people worldwide and features 55,000 products.

No stranger to racing, the 3M Company was a major partner with Roush-Fenway Racing and the title sponsor of the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway until 2011.

“The 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division has been a long-time partner with NASCAR and as such, we understand and appreciate the important of safety in our sport,” said Dale Ross, U.S. Marketing Operations Manager.

“We are happy to partner with our good friends at BAPS to supply lighting to the track and look forward to enjoying races there.”