Delphi to sponsor Chicagoland Indy event.

Delphi Automotive Systems' title sponsorship of the Indy Racing Northern Light Series event on Sept. 2, 2001, at Chicagoland Speedway was announced at a press conference on May 2, with the event to be titled the Delphi Indy 300.

The Delphi Indy 300 will take place on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The new state-of-the-art, 1.5-mile, D-shaped speedway will provide grandstand seating with excellent sight lines of the entire track for 75,000 spectators, more than 650 recreational vehicle spots in the infield, 32 corporate suites and many other fan amenities.

"We are proud and excited to take part in this venture with Delphi Automotive Systems," said Joie Chitwood, vice president and general manager of Chicagoland Speedway. "We know the Delphi Indy 300 will show the racing world that racing fans in this area are second to none. We are very excited the Indy Racing Northern Light Series will be part of our inaugural season, and know our partnership with Delphi Automotive Systems will grow this event as our season progresses."

A staple in racing, Delphi has sponsored other events, including the Delphi Indy 200, an Indy Racing event in January 2000 in Orlando, Fla. Delphi is the Official Electronics Provider to the Indy Racing League and has been instrumental in enhancing driver safety. Some of Delphi's racing products that have created safer racing include accident data recorders, track condition radios and radio telemetry modules. These instruments are essential in transmitting and recording race data.

"The commitment underlines the company's ongoing belief in the future of motorsports as a proving ground for a new generation of leading-edge Delphi products," said Bill Lafontaine, Delphi director of marketing and customer development. "There's no harsher testing environment for the development of truly breakthrough products than racing. For that reason, we've made a deliberate effort to foster our relationship with the Indy Racing League. Additionally, this sponsorship agreement is a great way to build and enhance the Delphi brand."

Delphi has sponsored the No. 8 Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone driven by 1996 Indy Racing co-champion Scott Sharp (pictured) since 1998. The company is also the primary sponsor of the No. 28 Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone driven by Sharp's Kelley Racing teammate, Mark Dismore.