Full Throttle

Leilani Münter will be driving the #59 NextEra Energy Resources Dodge for Mark Gibson Racing (MGR) in the three day ARCA Series open test at Daytona International Speedway on December 18, 19, and 20.

Leilani hopes to expand her partnership with MGR to include at least 10 ARCA races in the 2010 racing season starting with the season opener at Daytona on February 6.

“I am so thankful to NextEra Energy Resources for giving me the opportunity to attend the ARCA test at Daytona,” said Leilani, “I am thrilled to be driving for Mark Gibson Racing, they have a long history of success in the ARCA Series and I am really happy to be a part of his organization. Both of us are very hopeful that we will be able to expand our partnership beyond testing, we want to win races together.”

“Everyone here at MGR is excited about the opportunity to test at Daytona with Leilani. We have been talking about teaming up for a while. Leilani has worked very hard to get the opportunity to race in the ARCA series and hopefully the test at Daytona will get the 2010 season jump started,” said team owner Mark Gibson,

“We are working hard to get a great car prepared. The car we are taking finished fifth at this year’s race at Daytona and once again Ilmor Engineering will supply the power. Given the box that ARCA puts us in as far as springs and shocks we have worked really hard on the body and suspension aspects to improve on the car. Daytona is such an important race in our schedule every team puts a lot of extra effort into this test. A good run at Daytona seems to make the rest of the season go a little better. A top ten at Daytona got Parker (Kligerman) off to a great start and the rest is history. We hope to do the same with Leilani.”

This will be Leilani’s third trip to the ARCA Series open test at Daytona, the most storied track in NASCAR. Her first laps at Daytona came in 2006 driving for Andy Hillenburg. In just two runs, her top speed of 177.644 mph was 24th quick of 59 race cars in testing in the Saturday afternoon session.

She returned in 2008 to drive for racing legend James Hylton and turned a lap quick enough to put her 16th on the starting grid of the ARCA Daytona race on February 7 but due to lack of sponsorship, she was unable to participate in the race.

In addition to Daytona, the other events MGR and Leilani are looking to enter include Texas Motor Speedway on April 16, Talladega Superspeedway on April 23, both at Pocono Raceway on June 5 and July 31, Michigan Int’l Speedway on June 11, Iowa Speedway on July 10, Chicagoland Speedway on August 27, Kansas Speedway on September 30 and the finale at Rockingham Speedway on October 9.

All these races will have live or same day coverage on SPEED. Leilani and Mark Gibson Racing are excited to announce a unique opportunity for companies to get involved as sponsors for these races without spending a single marketing dollar.

Through her partnership with LED Savings Solutions, Leilani’s ground breaking program can provide lighting upgrades with light emitting diode (LED) lights that reduce electricity demand by up to 80 percent, allowing a business or property owner to reduce costs immediately as well as a means to reduce a facility’s carbon footprint. The partnership offers companies of all sizes a tremendous opportunity to save money, go green, and become sponsor on Leilani’s race car — all without spending a dime. LED Saving Solutions has created the ground breaking “Savings Share” program that gives the property owners and managers a $0 start up cost advantage since they only pay for the cost of the retrofit from a portion of the actual money saved each month.

The program is cash flow positive for companies from the start. GREENandSAVE and Leilani are proud to offer sponsorship exposure to companies that initiate the LED lighting retrofits. You will receive 5% of the purchase of the bulbs in vehicle branding and press release marketing with Leilani’s race program. Click here for more information on the LED program and for sponsorship inquiries please email marketing@leilanimunter.com.

Race fans are welcome to attend the Dec. 18-20 ARCA test session. It is open to the public with free access to the Oldfield Grandstands through the lobby of Daytona 500 Experience. In addition, trams will be available to transport race fans into the Sprint FANZONE to view all the testing action for $15.

About Leilani Münter

Münter started racing cars in 2001 and in 2004 she gained the attention of the racing world when she qualified 4th and finished 7th at Texas Motor Speedway in the ROMCO Super Late Model Series. Texas would turn out to be one of Münter’s favorite tracks. She returned to Texas Motor Speedway in 2006 and set a new record when she finished 4th, the highest finish for a female driver in the history of the racetrack.

Leilani became the first woman to qualify in the 45 year history of the Bettenhausen Classic at Illiana Motor Speedway in Indiana on September 16, 2006. She also spent time as an instructor for Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track High Performance Driving School, giving rides and instructing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Nashville SuperSpeedway, Kentucky Speedway, and Atlanta Motor Speedway.

For better or worse she predated Danica in the cheesecake department, for the lack of a better term, being named as “America’s Sexiest Race Car Driver” by Men’s Journal Magazine in 2002 and “The Hottest Woman in NASCAR” by FHM Magazine the following year.

In 2006 Leilani signed to appear on boxes of Hostess Twinkies, Cupcakes and Donettes as one of three “Hostess Race Divas” alongside Danica Patrick(IRL) and Melanie Troxel (NHRA).

Munter at one time worked as a photo double for actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.

A noted vegetarian, Munter earlier this year teamed up with Ecobabble a company dedicated to sustainability to produce her racing merchandise.

Ecobabble will place a recycle bin in Leilani’s pit where fans can drop off their plastic bottles. The company will then use those bottles to manufacture 50/50 cotton/polyester t-shirts.

In a recent statement, Leliani said: “I am excited to be working with Ecobabble to offer eco friendly merchandise. And I’d also like to thank Chicagoland Speedway for allowing me to have a recycle bin in my pit. Together we are teaming up to help make a greener world and I am just proud to be a part of it.”