Drag Illustrated Issue 178, September / October 2022 | Page 88

PRODUCTS & PRESS

PAUL LEE RACING WITH KRISTA BALDWIN ANNOUNCES STEVEN COLE AS SVP MARKETING & CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS AND GENERAL MANAGER

■ Paul Lee Racing will add industry executive Steven Cole to their roster for the remainder of the 2022 season and beyond as SVP of Marketing & Corporate Partnerships and General Manager . Paul Lee Racing currently fields a nitro Funny Car driven by race team owner and Wharton Automotive Group CEO , Paul Lee . The team will also include Top Fuel driver and team
owner , Krista Baldwin , who not only drives the McLeod sponsored dragster , but also is the Creative Director for the Wharton Automotive Group , which includes McLeod Racing , FTI Performance and Silver Sport Transmissions ( SST ).
“ We are excited to have Steve join our team officially as we gear up for the biggest race of the season in Indy ,” says team owner , Paul Lee . “ We will continue our journey to become full-time competitive race teams in the future . Our goal for next year is to continue to build our valued partnerships with our racing and hospitality platforms and make the countdown .”
Cole has been involved in professional motorsports for over 25 years which includes building brand marketing , business to business and consumer driven programs within NHRA , NASCAR and IndyCar . He has spent the last 10 + years working exclusively in the drag racing world with high profile race teams Stringer Performance , John Force Racing and IHRA drag racing series .
“ Paul and I had a great mutual friend in Tom “ Mongoose ” McEwen who introduced us years ago when I moved my family to Southern California ,” says Steven Cole . “ Tom said some day you guys need to work together in business and even build
a race team . And now I get to work side by side with Paul and Krista at the track and within the Wharton Automotive Group .”
As an on-going tribute to The Mongoose , Paul will always carry his iconic logo on the funny car .

STROUD SAFETY WARNS OF COUNTERFEIT SFI TAGS

■ Be aware that there are some race “ safety ” products available on the market right now that are using counterfeit SFI tags . We ’ ve included the images below for you to compare the real thing with the fake version . However , here are a couple of tips to help you tell the difference . 1 . Every SFI certified manufacturer is listed on the SFI website . If in doubt , go check . 2 . The authentic SFI tag is of higher quality and uses different fonts than the counterfeit version . You can tell a difference just by looking .
3 . The products are far too flimsy and thin to be rated at the level they are claiming . 4 . They ’ re dirt cheap in price and quality . If it seems too good to be true then it probably is .
Protect yourself and your safety by ensuring that you are purchasing genuine SFI certified products every time .
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