Toyo Tires announces it is renewing its longtime sponsorship of the National Auto Sport Association (NASA); extending its contract for an additional three years beginning January 1, 2010. NASA Competition Racing has a wide variety of road racing classes designed to welcome both entry level and seasoned racers who wish to compete wheel to wheel. As a part of this extension, all NASA spec tire classes will use the Toyo® Proxes® RA1™ as the required tire. The Proxes RA1 is an R-compound, street legal competition radial with a long history on the track.

“This move was made in response to customer input, and we hope the racers will be pleased by this announcement. The RA1 has become a favorite amongst many NASA racers and has proven itself for speed, consistency, and longevity,” said NASA’s National Chairman Ryan Flaherty.

“NASA and Toyo Tires have enjoyed a successful relationship for 14 years and we look forward to adding another three years to that run,” said Jerry Kunzman NASA's Executive Director. “In our opinion Toyo has always had the best interest of their customers in mind so it's great to see the relationship continue in this manner.”

“Toyo Tires is proud to continue our sponsorship of NASA road racing,” said Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “Our Proxes RA1 has long been popular with amateur and professional racers and is a great fit with this exciting series.”

Great for vehicles ranging from sport compacts to domestic and import muscle machines, the Proxes RA1 is cost-effective by delivering excellent wear and winning consistency on the track. NASA classes using the Proxes RA1 include: American Iron, Camaro-Mustang Challenge, Factory Five Challenge, Honda Challenge, Spec 3/Spec e30 (BMW), Spec Focus, Spec Miata, and 944-spec.

To learn more about the many driving opportunities provided by NASA, whether racing or high-performance training, log on to nasaproracing.com. To learn more about the full line of Proxes tires from Toyo Tires, log on to toyotires.com. Toyo Tires manufactures and distributes a complete line of replacement tires for high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks, buses and off-road and construction applications.