DENSO and NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Champion Matt Smith Go Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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Oct 08, 2019, 09:00 ET

LONG BEACH, Calif., Oct. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- DENSO Products and Services Americas, Inc., an affiliate of leading global automotive supplier DENSO Corp., and Matt Smith, three-time winner of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock Motorcycle championship, are wrapping Smith's bike in pink this month to raise awareness about breast cancer. The partners will debut the new wrap Oct. 11-13 at the NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals in Concord, North Carolina.

"I'm really looking forward to this wrap on our DENSO Auto Parts EBR for Breast Cancer Awareness Month," Smith said. "This cause hits close to home for our team because my longtime racing partner Mark Stockseth's wife Marshall has battled breast cancer twice. She's a fighter, and this new design represents and honors her strength."

Smith's motorcycle will continue to sport the sleek pink and black wrap throughout the month of October. Other weekend races coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness Month are the Oct. 17-20 AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals and the Oct. 31-Nov. 3 Dodge NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil in Las Vegas.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international campaign to educate people about the disease and raise money for research, prevention and treatment leading to a cure. In the U.S. alone, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

In 2019, nearly 42,000 women are expected to die from breast cancer. Although the disease is far more pervasive among women, approximately 500 men also will die from breast cancer this year.

DENSO is the primary sponsor of Matt Smith and his wife and teammate Angie Smith for the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello season. The upcoming North Carolina contest is the third event in the Countdown to the Championship for the top 10 competitors in each category. Ranked fourth and eighth respectively, both Matt and Angie Smith are among the Pro Stock Motorcycle finalists.

DENSO is also the title sponsor of the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals held in April in Las Vegas, a supporting sponsor of the entire NHRA Mello Yello series, and a marketing partner of John Force Racing. At every event, DENSO welcomes fans to the midway known as Nitro Alley to learn more about and purchase DENSO's premium Iridium TT, Iridium Power and Iridium Racing spark plugs. DENSO also posts its own race and product updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube throughout the series.

For half a century, DENSO has sponsored world-class motor sports, including NHRA, NASCAR, Formula One, World Rally Championship and Super GT races. DENSO spark plugs, alternators, radiators and engine management systems are among the precision original equipment and replacement auto parts widely used by professional racing teams on every circuit, as well as everyday motorists on the road, around the globe.

More information on DENSO spark plugs, as well as DENSO's comprehensive lines of auto parts, is available at retail stores, wholesale distributors and www.densoautoparts.com.

About DENSO

DENSO is a $48.3 billion global mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in its 221 facilities in 35 countries to produce thermal, powertrain, mobility, electrification, & electronic systems, to create jobs that directly change how the world moves. The company's 170,000+ employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO spent 9.3 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019. For more information about global DENSO, visit https://www.denso.com/global.

In North America, DENSO employs 27,000+ engineers, researchers and skilled workers across 31 sites in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs 17,000+ employees across 13 states and 25 sites. Headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, in fiscal year ending March 31, 2019, DENSO in North America generated $10.9 billion in consolidated sales. Join us, and craft not only how the world moves, but also your career. For more information, go to https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/.

SOURCE DENSO