BROWNSBURG, Ind. (July 2, 2020) - Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that Fifth Third Bank has extended its relationship with the team through the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The bank will be the primary sponsor of the No. 15 entry for Graham Rahal at the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Race 2 of the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America doubleheader and the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Fifth Third Bank will also have an enhanced associate sponsor presence in other key INDYCAR SERIES race markets throughout each season including at the Indianapolis 500 and in Monterey, Calif. and St. Petersburg, Fla. Fifth Third Bank first joined the team in 2016 as an associate sponsor and the partnership has grown as the two organizations have continued to build upon and pursue new collaborative business-to-business opportunities.
"Motorsports is such a vital part of the Indianapolis culture and as a corporate citizen Fifth Third Bank believes greatly in supporting the sport at the very heart of our state," said Kevin Hipskind, Fifth Third Bank Regional President. "Our partnership with the elite Rahal Letterman Lanigan Team continues to create even more opportunity for long-term community impact and meaningful business relationships for the Bank. We look forward to three more heart-racing years of collaboration and an exciting NTT INDYCAR SERIES ahead."
In addition to business-to-business activities, RLL has participated in Fifth Third Bank's annual Fifth Third Day (5/3 on the calendar) by helping to kick off their Feeding Our Communities campaign that takes place in the communities they serve with the goal of providing more than 1 million meals to those in need in May. The initiative has included Indianapolis-area groups such as Second Helpings, Pride Academy, Flanner House, St. Vincent House, Peyton Manning Children's Hospital and Million Meals Movement. Fifth Third Bank is also a supporter of other racing-related charitable initiatives such as REV Presented by Fifth Third Bank which benefits IU Health patients and an annual event that benefits Children's TherAplay, a physical and occupational therapy for children with special needs.
"When this relationship began, I already had the utmost respect for Fifth Third Bank as a company," said Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with David Letterman and Mike Lanigan. "As each year progresses, we continue to be inspired not only by how they conduct their business but also how they support the communities in which they service. Fifth Third Bank is able to uniquely leverage the partnership with RLL to enhance their commercial banking position with clients across the INDYCAR paddock."
"We're thrilled Fifth Third Bank has extended its relationship with Rahal Letterman Lanigan, providing another example of the strong appeal and reach of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and its teams," said Mark Miles, President and Chief Executive Officer of Penske Entertainment Corp. "Our sport needs great sponsors like Fifth Third Bank, which has tremendous reach and such impactful community ties and will continue to enjoy a great partnership with a top-notch organization like Rahal Letterman Lanigan."
The 14-race 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season continues with the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 4. For more details about the team or series, please visit www.rahal.com or www.indycar.com.
About Fifth Third Bancorp
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank, National Association, a federally chartered institution. As of December 31, 2019, Fifth Third had $169 billion in assets and operated 1,149 full-service banking centers and 2,481 ATMs with Fifth Third branding in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. In total, Fifth Third provides its customers with access to approximately 53,000 fee-free ATMs across the United States. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending and Wealth & Asset Management. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of December 31, 2019, had $413 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $49 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations through its Trust and Registered Investment Advisory businesses. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq® Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB." Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858. Deposit and Credit products are offered by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.
About Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and Brownsburg, Ind., is co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, former CBS Late Show host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan. In 2020, the team will compete in their 29th year of open wheel competition and attempt to add to their 28 wins - including the 2004 Indy 500 from pole with Buddy Rice — their 32 poles, 102 podium finishes and 1992 series championship. The team also competed in the American Le Mans Series from 2009-2013 as BMW Team RLL where they won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category in 2010 and swept all three GT titles in 2011 - Manufacturer, Team and Driver. In 2012, the team finished second in the Team Championship and third in the Manufacturer Championship and in 2013, the team finished second in the Driver, Team and Manufacturer Championship. Since 2014, BMW Team RLL has competed in the GTLM class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a two-car program and has brought their total to 21 wins - including the 2019 and 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance races, 28 poles and 79 podium finishes as well as a second place finish in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017.