Snap-on extends their sponsorship commitment with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. – one of NASCAR’s premier teams. With this multi-year contract renewal, Snap-on will serve as an associate sponsor to DEI.

"Snap-on has played an important role in our team’s success through the years," said Teresa Earnhardt, president and CEO of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. "This long-term renewal reaffirms the strong relationship that Snap-on and DEI enjoy. We look forward to our continued partnership with Snap-on and its quality tools."

"Snap-on Tools has been a part of the DEI family since my father began racing," said Dale Earnhardt, Jr. "Their products have been in our shops for decades and we rely on them to help us win races. They’ve been a solid partner through the years, and it’s great we can continue working with them well into the future."

DEI is currently comprised of four teams – the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops, No. 8 Budweiser and the No. 15 Menard’s Chevrolet teams which compete in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. They also field the No. 11 Menard’s Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Series.

In 2005, DEI celebrated 25 years of intimidation with its 100th NASCAR win (No. 8 Busch Series win at Indianapolis Raceway Park). Through 2005, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has won 16 Nextel Cup Series in DEI-built racecars. Dale Jr. was named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for the third consecutive year, making him one of only four drivers to win the award that many years in a row.

DEI’s Busch Series program is coming off a banner season repeating as the NASCAR Busch Series Champion for the second consecutive year with Martin Truex, Jr. He also qualified for all seven Nextel Cup races he attempted in 2005 with DEI equipment. Menard, the team’s Busch Series regular in 2006, is on the edge of racing greatness, winning a Bud Pole Award at Talladega Superspeedway last year en route to earning six top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes to finish sixth in points.

"While DEI racing is synonymous with winning, so is Snap-on with innovation," said Al Biland, president of Snap-on Tools. "Our partnership with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has been part of both organizations’ storied traditions and is something we’re proud to associate ourselves with into the future."

For almost its entire history, Snap-on has been involved in racing and uses its experience at the track to develop innovative new products for the vehicle service industry. In fact, some of the most innovative automotive systems were created at racetracks – disc brakes, hydraulic shock absorbers, turbochargers, fuel injection – and, consequently, so were the Snap-on professional tools used to service those systems.

"In our 85 years, Snap-on has consistently supported racers and their teams; the DEI racing teams are some of the most important to us," said Carl Johanson, Snap-on Tools’ motorsports marketing manager. "We show pride in our teams and our commitment to build the highest quality tools acting as a total-solutions provider for professional technicians and racing teams."

Snap-on franchisees build relationships and distribute products directly to technicians via the Snap-on van, which has remained an icon for the company since the mid 1940s. In addition, products are sold directly to consumers via www.snapon.com.