Sherwin-Williams celebrity challenge raises funds for charities

The Sherwin-Williams Planet Color Custom Finishes All-Star Charity Challenge pitted the truck design talents of Clint Bowyer against fellow NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, as each of the driver’s design teams created a new design.

Their vehicles recently were sold at two separate Barrett-Jackson auto auctions stages, with bragging rights at stake for the highest bidder, and the two superstar drivers’ chosen charities being the main beneficiaries.

Biffle’s custom Raptor sold for $80,000 at the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas event. Clint Bowyer’s $100,000-raised Tundra (the sale price garnered at an auction held in Orange County, Calif., in June) was declared the winner in a close bidding contest. But the real winners in the Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes-sponsored All Star Celebrity Challenge are the charities it supported, and the fans that supported both teams with their online participation.

Bowyer's modified 2011 Toyota Tundra raised $100,000 for the Emporia Community Foundation in Bowyer's Kansas hometown. The foundation supports many different causes there, emphasizing area children’s need first. It also includes supporting the region’s hospital, storm shelters and school projects.

Biffle's SVT Raptor sale proceeds all went to the Greg Biffle Foundation for Animals. It was founded in 2005 by Greg and Nicole Biffle to create awareness and serve as an advocate to improve the well-being of animals. The foundation donates to Humane Societies, no-kill animal shelters and to spay and neuter clinics.

"We appreciate NASCAR superstars like Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle lending their names and efforts in helping us create the Planet Color Custom Finishes All-Star Charity Challenge," said Bobby Moody, director of motorsports at Sherwin-Williams. "Planet Color custom paints and finishes have been a tremendous hit among custom automotive enthusiasts and painters alike. All Planet Color custom paints and coatings are based upon the exclusive OEM-approved color system from Sherwin- Williams."

Bowyer’s custom Tundra features a red patina paint job, done in Sherwin-Williams Planet Color paint to give the truck the appearance of a well-used "tri- five" style work truck. The truck's design was inspired by all the weather-beaten trucks that litter the Midwestern countryside where Bowyer was born and raised.

Additional '50s-style elements incorporated into Bowyer's Tundra design include a roof visor, custom wheels, louvered tailgate, vertical bar grille, white bumpers, mirrors and grille, a wood bed and wood bed stakes, and blanket upholstered seats. The 2012 Toyota includes a custom exhaust and upgraded suspension components.

Biffle’s Ford F-150 SVT Raptor also features Sherwin- Williams Planet Color paints (in its new Barrett- Jackson Premium Paint Restoration System, now available exclusively at PepBoys). The paint scheme includes such hues as Red Hot Red (PCGK1), Hot Rod Satin Black (PCGK3), White Lightning (PCGK5), and a final clearcoat (PCCCGk1). Biffle’s paint scheme was designed and applied by automotive artist Ron “Flea” Fleenor, of Fleaz Kolor Faktory.

The F-150 has been modified by Roush Performance, and fitted with items like its TVS2300 supercharger system good for 525 horsepower, a performance exhaust system, custom 18-inch wheels shod with 35-inch BFGoodrich tires, TireGate tire carrier and light bars front and rear.

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes upped the ante for the teams via social media participation. Thousands of its Facebook fans and Twitter followers voted for their favorite custom paint scheme, choosing between the Team Biffle Raptor and the Team Bowyer Tundra. The chosen contestants from the custom painting team that garners the most votes will win tickets and Hot Pit passes to the 2013 NASCAR race of their choice. There will also be two Facebook fans selected to attend an upcoming Scottsdale, Ariz. Barrett-Jackson auto auction with behind-the-scenes access.

Contest sponsors include Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes,Barrett-Jackson, Roush-Fenway Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Ford Motor Company, Toyota Motor Corporation, Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer.

For more information about Planet Color finishes, visit www.planetcolor.com. For more information on other Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes products, visit www.sherwin- automotive.com or call 1-800-SWULTRA (1-800-798- 5872).