TAYLOR DAWSON TO DRIVE FOR CADILLAC IN 2018
WEEHAWKEN, N.J. -- Taylor Dawson will join Stephen Glass Enterprises as the team's lead driver for the 2018 World Stock Car Championship season. The 29-year-old native of Flint, Michigan will drive the #30 Cadillac CTS replacing retiring driver Derrek Townsend. New sponsor NAMI - the National Alliance on Mental Illness - will join the team for all 16 U.S. races, while current team sponsor Sennheiser will remain on board for the remaining 15 races in Canada, Mexico, and overseas.
Dawson has won five races in the World Stock Car Championship and is the only woman to win the Indianapolis 500, a feat she accomplished in 2009 at the age of 20. 2018 will be her eighth full-time season racing stock cars.
"Taylor is one of those rare talents who can bring a team from being underdogs to weekly contenders," said Stephen Glass, owner of SGE Motorsports alongside Ronnie Welsh, founder of Toronto-based Welsh Diagnostics. "I have had the pleasure of watching Taylor hone her skills behind the wheel of a stock car as a competitor, and I know that in our equipment she can compete not only for wins, but for championships. She is what every team owner wants in a lead driver, since she will elevate not only her team, but Ethan [Galvin, driver of the team's second full-time entry] and Júlia [Zsinka, the team's reserve driver] to be true threats on every track."
"It's a tremendous honor and opportunity to drive for one of the series' premier organizations," Dawson said. "This team has an immense amount of depth and support from General Motors, and there is ample opportunity to race with the top teams in this series. I'm looking forward to being a part of the next wave of success for Stephen and the team."
About NAMI:
The National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) is a nationwide grassroots advocacy group, representing families and people affected by mental illness in the United States. NAMI provides psychoeducation, research, and support for people and their families impacted by mental illness through various public education and awareness activities. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, NAMI has state and local affiliates, all operating mainly with the work of thousands of volunteers. Members of NAMI are typically consumers of mental health services, family members, and professionals working together toward a common goal.
There are over 1,000 NAMI chapters, represented in all 50 U.S. states. NAMI has 9 signature programs, many which have been shown to be efficacious in research studies.
About Sennheiser:
Sennheiser is shaping the future of audio – a vision built on more than 70 years of innovation culture, which is deeply rooted within the family-owned company. Founded in 1945, Sennheiser is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of headphones, microphones and wireless transmission systems. With 20 sales subsidiaries and long-established trading partners, the company is active in more than 50 countries and operates its own production facilities in Germany, Ireland and the USA. Sennheiser has around 2,800 employees around the world that share a passion for audio excellence. Since 2013, Sennheiser has been managed by Daniel Sennheiser and Dr. Andreas Sennheiser, the third generation of the family to run the company. In 2016, the Sennheiser Group had sales totaling €658.4 million. www.sennheiser.com.
About Stephen Glass Enterprises:
Stephen Glass Enterprises is a championship-winning World Stock Car Championship team owned by former series champion Stephen Glass and Ronnie Welsh, founder of Welsh Diagnostics, an automotive performance and aftermarket sales organization based in Toronto, Ontario. The organization fields two full-time entries in the World Stock Car Championship - the No. 30 Sennheiser Cadillac CTS for Derrek Townsend and the No. 33 Allianz Cadillac CTS for Ethan Galvin - and one reserve entry - the No. 29 Kenneth Cole Cadillac CTS for Júlia Zsinka. The team also operates a two-car operation in the American Stock Car Tour. Based in Weehawken, New Jersey, Stephen Glass Enterprises operates out of a 310,000-square-foot facility and employs close to 400 full-time employees.