CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
22 November 2005
Implementation Investments
Winning Season: UGS Technology Helps Joe Gibbs Racing and Driver Tony Stewart Win the 2005 NASCAR® NEXTEL Cup Championship; UGS-sponsored Teams Seize Championships on Four Racing Circuits
UGS Corp. announced driver Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing -whose cars are developed with the help of UGS® digital product development technology -won the 2005 NASCAR® NEXTEL Cup Championship. Stewart, winner of the 2002 Winston Cup title, secured the championship in the final race of the season, the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.
UGS previously announced that UGS-sponsored Andretti Green Racing won the Indy Racing League® (IRL) IndyCar® Series Championship for the second year in a row (see separate release www.ugs.com/about_us/press/press.shtml?id=4184 ) and KB Racing won the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock Championship for the third straight year (see separate release www.ugs.com/about_us/press/press.shtml?id=4286 ).
"Winning a race requires a great team and winning a championship requires a great team that is innovative and committed to success," said J. D. Gibbs, president, Joe Gibbs Racing. "Our team, which includes partners like UGS, was ready for the task at hand throughout the season and especially through the Chase for the Nextel Cup. We are thrilled to have UGS as a partner in this victory and look forward to continue to leverage UGS' technology to transform our process of racing innovation."
"It's a thrill to win the championship, for our fans, for our team, for our sponsors," said Stewart. "The one thing that has allowed us to stay on top this year is consistency week in and week out and UGS has consistently been there for us doing whatever it takes to help us win."
"UGS congratulates Joe Gibbs Racing and Tony Stewart on winning the championship. The race for the championship required commitment to success and consistency, qualities which are at the core of Joe Gibbs Racing and UGS," said Dave Shirk, executive vice president of Global Marketing for UGS. "UGS' mantra is to never let a customer fail and we strive to help every UGS technology user drive into victory lane, on the track or in the board room."
UGS has a long tradition providing NXT digital product development software through racing sponsorships. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports (participants in the NASCAR® NEXTEL Cup Series) along with Andretti Green Racing, winner of the Indy Racing League® (IRL) IndyCar® Series Champion two years running, have been using UGS software for several years to help develop their cars and improve their performance on the race track. KB Racing, winner of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock Championship for three straight years, began using UGS technology in 2005, and the Renault F1 Team, winner of the 2005 Formula One Drivers and Constructors Championships, established a partnership in 2004 using TecnomatixT, UGS' best-in-class digital manufacturing solutions.
Joe Gibbs racing began using NX in 1998. Initial use revolved around modeling and manufacturing parts that needed replacement. NX allowed the team to reduce the time it took to develop new parts down from weeks to hours. The team began using the software to evaluate new engine and suspension configurations virtually and to optimize weight distribution. The software helped the team increase engine horsepower and the performance on the track reflected the increasing use of NX, with faster times and better finishes. In 2000, Joe Gibbs Racing won its first NASCAR championship. The use of NX has expanded each year. Today nearly every part and subassembly, including the entire engine, has been modeled in NX. The part library contains approximately 400 parts, including both replacement parts and those designed for R&D purposes. In addition NX is also used for analysis to test new engine configurations before metal is ever cut. NX geometry is also used in the team's scale model program, as the basis for stereolithography and other prototypes used in wind tunnel tests.
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