The Copart-sponsored O’Dell Racing Team has continued to power full steam ahead with a packed schedule of stock car and hot rod meetings in July and August!
Copart has proudly sponsored the team, which includes two long serving employees, for 14 years. We were delighted to pick up the reins of their previous sponsorship with Universal Salvage which started in 1985, after acquiring the business in 2007.
Teammate sponsorship plays an integral role in our Copart Cares 💙 CSR strategy.
It’s important to us that we make our people feel part of the ‘Copart Family’, supporting activities and causes that are close to their hearts while also having a positive impact on local communities.
We’ve really enjoyed being part of this exciting journey and sharing all the thrills and spills of their stock car racing adventures. And, of course, it’s fantastic to see the Copart logo speeding around hot rod and stock car racing tracks all across the country and creating plenty of brand awareness!
Since our last blog post, there has been no let-up in O’Dell Racing’s schedule, but it’s proved to be a rather bumpy ride.
“The saloon stock car raced by Adam had its ups and downs at the annual Skegness Speed Weekender on 10th-11th July. There were 72 saloon stockcars in attendance and a total of 190 competitors in all formulas. Saturday was the qualifying with the top 35-point scoring cars going through to the final on Sunday and we just missed out by 1 point! That was a hard meeting for us and after being involved in a lot of crashes we had a lot of welding and repair work to do!”
Steve O’Dell – Team Manager
But, of course, the team came back with a fighting spirit for the European at Cowdenbeath on 31st July/1st August. After qualifying at the back of the grid for the championship race, Adam managed to come through the pack and finished in 3rd place.
Next up was the World Final Championship at Mildenhall on 14th August and it was a mixed bag of emotions.
Having started positively after booking a place on the grid through points scored throughout the year, Adam made excellent progress until a spin and a tangle with another car’s crash sadly put an end to his race.
Dean also had his ups and downs during July and August, starting with a major engine failure while racing his stock rod in Birmingham on 17th July.
But success was waiting just around the corner!
“Our fortunes changed at the National Championship in Hednesford on 31st July/1st August, where there were 46 stock rods in attendance. Dean managed a 2nd, 9th and 8th, that put us on the second row inside for the big 40 lap championship race. After a hectic first few laps, we finished in second place to round off a very successful weekend.”
Steve O’Dell – Team Manager
And if all that wasn’t enough, Dean has also been busy with his new hot rod venture, racing at various dates in Ipswich and Aldershot throughout July and August.
Steve said: “This is a whole new experience for us, with a lot to learn about the set-up, but we feel very positive about it all and we’re really enjoying the challenge of this new venture!”
We look forward to catching up with O’Dell Racing again soon!
“Copart is a rapidly expanding global business, but we are proud to have retained our family culture. We are always seeking opportunities to support and care for our teammates, both inside and outside of work, and our long-term partnership with O’Dell Racing is a perfect example of this.
We love sharing and celebrating their achievements of these long-serving teammates and we look forward to enjoying many more years of this very special partnership.”
Mark Godfrey – Director of Strategy, Marketing & Copart Automotive divisions
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