Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger Funny Car to sport 50th Anniversary House of Kolor Paint Scheme

ENNIS, Texas --In cooperation with Mopar and Oakley, the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driven by reigning NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion Gary Scelzi will take on a different, even more colorful look for this weekend's (Sept. 22-24) O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas. Don Schumacher Racing associate sponsor Valspar will feature its House of Kolor division with an exotic paint scheme commemorating the company's 50th anniversary.

Valspar, based in Minneapolis, with its House of Kolor division out of Picayune, Miss., is known for its longtime support of driver Richie Stevens Jr. and the Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T in the Pro Stock class, and is the official paint supplier for all nine DSR teams.

Following Dallas, the House of Kolor Dodge Charger body will be displayed in Valspar's booth at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Oct. 31-Nov. 3.

Fifty Years ago Jon Josmoski, founder of House of Kolor, developed the first Kustom Paint System utilizing exotic pigments and technologies from across the globe. Throughout its history, House of Kolor has been and continues to be recognized as the leader in the Kustom Paint Industry.

"House of Kolor is the only custom coatings manufacturer with 50 years experience," explained Randy Tinsley, program manager, Valspar Motorsports.

"We selected Gary Scelzi's Funny Car because it's a little easier to do a one-off paint scheme on a Funny Car," added Tinsley. "And with Don (Schumacher, team owner) allowing us to hold onto the body for a couple more weeks for the SEMA show, it just worked out perfectly."

Said Schumacher: "We are proud and honored to commemorate House of Kolor's 50th anniversary with this unique paint scheme on the Mopar/Oakley Dodge in Ennis this weekend. Valspar has been a valued team sponsor since they came on board in 2005 and we look forward to a long and productive relationship, including working together on future projects such as this one."

Banshie Studios, which designs all of the Oakley paint schemes, created the paint scheme for the House of Kolor car as well. Other pro cars on the NHRA circuit which sport schemes with House of Kolor products include those driven by Bob Gilbertson, Jim Head and others.

"The Dallas race is perfect for this special-edition paint scheme because the House of Kolor and Automotive divisions are based out of Mississippi and we have always considered the Ennis facility our home track." said Tinsley.