DieHard Backs Don Schumacher Racing and Matt Hagan for 2010

BROWNSBURG, Ind., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Don Schumacher announced today that Sears, Roebuck and Co.'s iconic brand DieHard will be the primary sponsor of the Dodge Funny Car driven by Matt Hagan in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100209/CG52115)

The DieHard brand has been marketed by Sears since 1967. To help promote the DieHard battery chargers, portable power and inverters, Don Schumacher Racing will campaign the DieHard Dodge Funny Car, with associate sponsorship from shelor.com, in the 2010 NHRA series.

"We at DSR are proud to welcome DieHard into our family of outstanding supporters of our team," said Schumacher, DSR team owner. "The brand has been synonymous with automobile racing for 43 years, and we expect to continue to add to DieHard's long list of racing accomplishments during the 2010 NHRA season."

"The agreement between DieHard, one of the most trusted names in the automotive industry, and Don Schumacher Racing is a perfect match," said Erik Rosenstrauch, general manager of DieHard brand business unit. "Our involvement with one of the premier racing teams in NHRA further enables us to drive our business and engage consumers about the excitement behind DieHard."

"Wow," said 27-year-old Hagan, in his second year with DSR and no longer a rookie after his first full NHRA season in which he landed in two final rounds in 2009 and qualified No. 1 twice. "It's awesome to have DieHard on the side of the Funny Car I'll be driving for DSR in 2010. They've been around longer than I have and their racing reputation speaks for itself. I'll do all I can to maintain their outstanding racing tradition this season."

Crew chief Tommy DeLago will continue to tune the DieHard Dodge in 2010, as the 23-event season begins in Pomona, Calif., Feb. 11-14.

DieHard recently launch the all-new DieHard.com, which includes a help center, battery selector, maintenance guide and a series of videos documenting DieHard's performance inside the DieHard Torture Labs.

About the DieHard brand

Introduced in 1967, Sears designed the DieHard to produce 35 percent more usable starting power than other similar batteries. Featuring a revolutionary tough, thin-walled case of translucent polypropylene plastic, which was 50 percent thinner than conventional black rubber-type battery enclosures, the design's extra room meant bigger plates, more acid and extra starting power. Consumers consistently rate DieHard as "most trusted," "dependable," "performs in extreme conditions" by overwhelming margins, according to a 2009 Battery Brand Tracker Survey.

About Don Schumacher Racing

Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., consists of six professional NHRA teams: the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster driven by seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher; the FRAM dragster of Cory McClenathan, and the Matco Tools dragster of Antron Brown. The Funny Car teams are the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge driven by Ron Capps, the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge piloted by Jack Beckman, and the DieHard Dodge driven by Matt Hagan. Since 1998, Don Schumacher Racing teams have won 136 national events in 260 final rounds, and eight world championships. More information may be found on http://www.shoeracing.com.

SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.