Farmington Hills-based 5-hour Energy will be the primary sponsor of the No. 30 IndyCar of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) in the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 26 and the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on June 2.
“We’ve been incredibly impressed by the RLL team in their preparation and professionalism and wanted to quickly expand our collaboration beyond the associate sponsorship,” says Jeff Sigouin, president and COO of Living Essentials, makers of 5-hour Energy.
“Therefore, we’ve become the primary sponsor for the longest and biggest race of the year — the Indy 500 — and of our hometown race in Detroit. Both events require focus, energy, and stamina to win and those attributes are right up our alley.”
Previously announced as a full-season associate sponsor, this will be the brand’s debut as a primary sponsor in open-wheel racing. Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of Formula 1 and IndyCar legend Emerson Fitipaldi, will pilot the car in both races.
“For the initial announcement, we stated how honored we were to have 5-hour Energy as an associate sponsor given their previous involvement in motorsports and the fact that upon their return to motorsports, they chose Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing,” says Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and a former Indy 500 winner. “Now, to have a 5-hour Energy car in the 2024 Indy 500 and the Detroit Grand Prix is a testament to how great it has been to work with them and how well our partnership has started off.”
Mike Lanigan, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, adds: “We’re looking forward to seeing the 5-hour Energy car on the track and also having that translate to driving sales for them. It’s important for RLL, IndyCar, and motorsports in general to have strong partners like 5-hour Energy.”
Fittipaldi served as the Haas F1 Team’s reserve and test driver the past five seasons and is a multiple open-wheel champion and race-winning world endurance championship driver.
“I’m very excited to have 5-hour Energy as my primary sponsor for the legendary Indy 500 and for their home race, the Detroit Grand Prix,” Fittipaldi says. “The 5-hour Energy Honda is one of the best-looking race cars I have ever driven and looks extremely fast. I’m looking forward to chasing great results on track with them all season and especially at the iconic Indy 500 and their home race in Motor City.”
Living Essentials and 5-hour Energy were founded by local entrepreneur Manoj Bhargava in 2004. Look for a cover story profile on Bhargava in the March-April edition of DBusiness, hitting newsstands soon.
 in Indianapolis 500.){kind=link}