DALLAS (January 21, 2016) – Viper Exchange and Gas Monkey Garage announced today a partnership that will see the No. 33 ViperExchange.com Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper GT3-R carry an eye-catching Gas Monkey Garage logo and livery at next weekend’s season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.
The highly-popular Gas Monkey Garage, featuring performance car builds in the global television show ‘Fast N’ Loud’ on Discovery, is a successful car restoring business in Dallas with a unique style.
Led by principal Richard Rawlings, the Gas Monkey Garage staff travels around Texas and surrounding states to find forgotten classic cars to buy and restore. They found a perfect Lone Star State partner in Viper Exchange for Gas Monkey Garage’s first appearance in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Viper Exchange, the world’s largest Viper retailer, is based in Tomball, Texas, and principal and team driver, Ben Keating, is a lifelong Lone Star State resident. A winning IMSA GT Daytona (GTD) class co-driver in last year’s Rolex 24, Keating will co-drive the No. 33 ViperExchange.com/Gas Monkey Garage Viper with Jeroen Bleekemolen, Marc Miller and Dominik Farnbacher next weekend at Daytona. Farnbacher was also part of last year’s Rolex 24 winning GTD driver lineup.
“We have been working very hard through the years to build the Viper Exchange brand as the No. 1 volume Viper dealer in the world and the home of Viper performance parts,” Keating said. “The guys at Gas Monkey Garage have done an incredible job of creating a great brand and a culture that people want to be part of. We are both extremely connected with Dodge, we are both located in Texas and we are both heavily involved car people. I almost can’t believe it didn’t happen sooner.”
The Gas Monkey Garage brand is one of the world’s most visible logos in the automobile industry and also announced today it will launch its Energy drink products this year.
“We are extremely pleased to announce our new Gas Monkey Garage Energy products and the association with the Viper Exchange for the popular Rolex 24 At Daytona,” Rawlings said. “Ben Keating and his teammates in the Viper Exchange/Gas Monkey Garage Viper should be big crowd favorites next weekend at Daytona.”
The Gas Monkey Garage ‘Fast N’ Loud’ show is viewed by over 2.2 million viewers weekly in the United States and is aired in 200 countries and translated into 38 languages.
“I am very excited about working together on this,” Keating said. “I am excited to take the Gas Monkey Garage fans along for the ride as we compete in the biggest and longest sports car race in North America. I love the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and I think the Gas Monkey faithful are going to understand why after following this event. There is always plenty of crazy drama during any 24 hour race. It is an environment full of car people and high emotions. They are going to dig it!”
Miller is making his Rolex 24 debut in the No. 33 that should be an even bigger crowd favorite than the Viper usually is with the addition of the Gas Monkey Garage livery.
“I have been a fan of the Gas Monkey Garage guys as well as ‘Fast N’ Loud’ for years, and you don’t have to live in Texas to just love that Lone Star lifestyle,” said Miller, who is from Holland, Michigan. Everyone involved in both Viper Exchange and Gas Monkey Garage are car people and what better choice of a team to represent them than a monstrous American V10 Dodge Viper among a sea of European competition.”
While the Gas Monkey Garage Energy drink will not be available in time for the Rolex 24, Keating and ViperExchange.com could put the new product to good use in March’s 12 Hours of Sebring. The Gas Monkey Garage partnership will likely continue for that race, the second longest on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule.
“No doubt that an energy drink is extremely appropriate for an endurance race but especially a Gas Monkey Garage energy drink,” Keating said. “The people working down on pit lane have gasoline running through their veins. They actually get less sleep during 24 and 12 hour races than the drivers. They don’t get a break and they love it. This is what I think the Gas Monkey Energy drink is all about. There will also be plenty of fans trying to make it for the entire race with no sleep. There will be no shortage of a market for extra energy at endurance races!”
In addition to the Viper Exchange/Gas Monkey Garage Viper in the Rolex 24, the Garage announced today two more racing projects in 2016. Also competing under Gas Monkey Garage Energy products colors this year will be Dreyer & Reinbold Racing IndyCar at the 100th Indianapolis 500, with driver Sage Karam, and a NHRA Mello Yello drag racing series Pro Stock entry with Laughlin Motorsports and driver Alex Laughlin.
Next up for ViperExchange.com Riley Motorsports in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 28 – 31, at Daytona International Speedway. The race can be seen live in programming on the FOX Sports Networks.
Riley Motorsports
