Earl and Mooch from the "MUTTS" comic strip will make two appearances in the Mazdaspeed paddock: at the Road Atlanta race on October 5th and at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on October 21st.
The blue and white Tri-Point MAZDA6s will have unique graphics for the Road Atlanta and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca events. Jeff Altenburg will be racing with Earl the dog, while Randy Pobst will race with ‘Mooch’ the cat.
Mazda Press Release:
MAZDASPEED TEAM “ADOPTS” NEW LOOK TO SUPPORT ANIMAL SHELTER ADOPTIONS
‘Earl’ & ‘Mooch’ from “MUTTS” Zoom-Zoom for
The Humane Society of the United States
In the chase for the championship, drivers Jeff Altenburg and Randy Pobst have been pushing each other all season long. After eight races in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship, they are first and second in points with two wins each. For the final two races, each will have a new teammate as the Tri-Point Motorsports team has adopted ‘Earl’ and ‘Mooch,’ the beloved "MUTTS" comic strip characters, to ride along. Jeff, Randy, ‘Earl’, and ‘Mooch’ have joined
forces with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in their efforts to promote the adoption of shelter animals. The blue and white Tri-Point MAZDA6s will be carrying unique graphics for the Road Atlanta and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca events. Jeff will be racing with ‘Earl’ the dog, while Randy will have ‘Mooch’ the cat as his driving muse.
Fans of the "MUTTS" comic strip are familiar with the annual “Shelter Stories,” a week of strips focusing on the plight of shelter animals. This program will, in essence, speed up the message to 160mph.
Life-sized versions of ‘Earl’ and ‘Mooch’ will be making paddock appearances at both races, making for some fun photo opportunities for families.
“When the idea first came to us, we thought it sounded like a fun way to share the important message of adopting shelter animals. The "MUTTS" characters are favorites for many of us on the team. The hardest part was in getting Jeff and Randy to decide who would have ‘Mooch’ and who would have ‘Earl’ on their car,” laughed Craig Nagler, team owner for Tri-Point Motorsports.
“With so much of the recent athlete animal-related headlines in recent months being unfortunately bad news, it’s a delight for The Humane Society to work with Randy and Jeff, who both understand and believe in helping animals,” noted Michael Markarian, Executive Vice President for The Humane Society of the United States.
“In my daily comic strip, MUTTS, I have always promoted the adopting of pets from local shelters. With the help of the Mazda Team, Earl and Mooch are now conveying this important message at top speed!” added cartoonist Patrick McDonnell.
The promotion will not end at the checkered flag. After the season concludes, the hoods from both
cars, the Sparco driver suits, and other souvenirs will be signed by the drivers and auctioned off to benefit The HSUS. Details will be posted to www.MUTTSCOMICS.com in late October, allowing plenty of time for holiday wrapping for that special motorsports and/or “MUTTS” enthusiast.
THE KEY MESSAGE: SAVE A LIFE – ADOPT
Animal shelters are the best source when looking for a pet. Not only do they have a great selection of adult animals for adoption, they also have kittens and puppies and purebred animals. National figures indicate that about half of the animals entering shelters are euthanized for lack of homes. Every adoption from a shelter is a life saved.
You can depend on responsible shelters to assess the animals’ health and temperament in order to make the best adoption matches possible. When animals are relinquished by owners, the shelter staff makes every attempt to collect a thorough history of that pet. Then, while caring for animals, staff and volunteers try to learn as much as they can about these animals as well as those who come to the shelter as strays.
In an effort to make good matches between people and animals and place pets in lifelong homes, many shelters provide adoption counseling and follow-up assistance, such as pet parenting and dog-training classes, medical services, and behavior counseling. Or they may be able to refer you to providers of these services.
Another advantage is that shelter adoption fees are usually much less than an animal's purchase price at a pet store or breeder. Your new pet is more likely to be vaccinated, dewormed, and spayed or neutered. To locate your local animal shelter, check the Yellow Pages under "animal shelter," "animal control," or "humane society.”
Many shelters have web sites on which they display the animals they have available for adoption. Some sites allow you to download adoption forms and read about responsible pet care. A growing number of shelters also promote their web sites, and the animals they have for adoption, on sites such as Pets 911.com, Petfinder.com, and 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com.
About the partners:
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization – backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- On the web at www.humanesociety.org
Patrick McDonnell and "MUTTS"are winners of the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award for “Cartoonist of the Year” (a lifetime achievement), four Harvey awards for “Best Syndicated Strip or Panel”, and multiple Genesis Awards, now presented by The Humane Society of the United States, for ongoing commitment and outstanding work on behalf of animal welfare issues. Eighteen "MUTTS" books have been published in the United States, as well as four children’s books including the New York Times best seller, “The Gift of Nothing.” Distributed internationally by King Features Syndicate, the "MUTTS" comic strip now appears in more than 700 newspapers and is published in more than 20 countries. McDonnell is also on The HSUS Board of Directors. MUTTS can be found on the web at www.muttscomics.com
King Features Syndicate is a member of Hearst Entertainment and Syndication Group, which combines Hearst Corporation's cable network partnerships, television programming activities, and newspaper syndication and merchandise licensing operations. King Features is the world's premier distributor of comics, columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games, distributing in print and online some 150 features to nearly 5,000 newspapers around the globe. It is one of the largest and most experienced organizations in merchandise licensing and entertainment. Among its most beloved and successful classic characters are “Popeye,” “Betty Boop,” “Blondie,” “Dennis the Menace” and “Flash Gordon.” In recent years, the company has diversified and now represents properties such as the trend apparel and accessory brands, “David & Goliath” ;the publicly displayed, life-sized art sculptures “GuitarMania” and “The Trail of Painted Ponies”; the conscientious-living brand, “MUTTS”; and “SeeMore’s Playhouse,” the multi-Emmy® Award-winning children’s safety and wellness series for public television. On the web at www.kingfeatures.com
Founded in 1979, Tri-Point Engineering is dedicated to the development of high-performance Mazda vehicles. Tri-Point Engineering operates both a motorsports team, and a street/race preparation shop with a focus on performance products. Over the years Tri-Point Engineering has engineered and developed dozens of championship winning IMSA and SCCA road race cars, SCCA Solo II and ProSolo cars, and many of the hottest high-performance street cars. Located in Canoga Park, California Tri-Point Engineering features a maintenance, engineering, design, and fabrication facility. Tri-Point Engineering's long-standing dedication to the Mazda marque and track record of excellence in design and fabrication has established them as the industry leader in the Mazda aftermarket. On the web at www.tripointengineering.com
Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA 3 , MAZDA 6 , RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the largest road-racing class in the world is Spec Miata, with more than 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America’s racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda’s involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world’s premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing. On the web at www.mazdausa.com
SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc.-a 55,000-member organization dedicated to motorsports events. SCCA Pro Racing sanctions four separate professional racing series: the SPEED World Challenge Championships, SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup, Formula Russell and F2000 Championship Series. Each series holds events on high-profile race weekends and annually crowns champions. On the web at www.scca.com
Thanks to Tony Donaldson Photography, Mike Ditz Photography, Sparco, The Print Network, Photomation, and Race Sign Specialists for their support of this program. Two “Paws Up” for racers Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, and Andrew Prendeville who have also helped animals via motorsports this past year.
