LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Super Truck Racing Association of North America (STRANA) named TONKA as its new title sponsor at the Mid-America Trucking Show.

The multi-year deal will result in the renaming of this year’s series to the TONKA 2003 Super Truck Celebrity Challenge. It’s a year of growth for the super truck racing series, which is planning four events this year that will see well-known race car drivers go head to head on three road courses, including Mosport in Bowmanville, Ont.

Next year, the series will be called the TONKA Super Truck Racing Series, and organizers are expecting a full field of Class 8 trucks to compete in a full season of road course events.

"Securing title sponsors in motorsports is difficult at best in today’s uncertain world, and that’s why this deal would be so significant," says STRANA executive director, Brian Till. "It speaks volumes about the unique nature of our motorsports’ property and its value in the marketplace."

It’s expected that TONKA’s parent company, Hasbro, will use this partnership as an opportunity to launch a toy lineup featuring Class 8 race trucks.

STRANA also took the opportunity to announce a new broadcasting partner ESPN2 which will show each of this year’s Celebrity Challenges.