Millions of racing fans following next weekend’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup event at the Darlington (South Carolina) Raceway will be able to see a bit of motorsports history on the front fender of each car on the track. The MOOG Steering and Suspension brand’s original racing decal – first displayed by Cup competitors in 1966 – will be used by teams as part of a celebration of the return of the Southern 500 to Labor Day Weekend. Several racing teams will debut throwback paint schemes prior to the race.

MOOG, in its 50th year of Cup competition, is the Official Steering and Suspension of NASCAR. MOOG products are manufactured and marketed by global vehicle components supplier Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp.

Among the first drivers to proudly display the blue-and-yellow “MOOG High Performance Chassis Parts” decal – and rely on the brand’s industry leading Problem Solver parts – was David Pearson, who in 1966 won the first of his three NASCAR championships and began the MOOG brand’s unprecedented 49-year streak of Cup titles. Pearson won 14 of 49 events that season, all with the help of precision-engineered MOOG parts, according to Federal-Mogul. To commemorate his championship performance, Pearson’s white No. 6 Dodge is the first of 49 cars appearing on the MOOG brand’s current NASCAR poster, while 2014 Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet SS is the most recent addition.

“MOOG is among a very select group of brands that have remained vital contributors to the success of Cup teams over the past 50 years,” said Tim Nelson, director of motorsports for Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “Although it has been several decades since that early MOOG decal first appeared on Cup cars, our commitment to innovation and product excellence for all customers – race teams, professional technicians and consumers – remains every bit as strong today.”

The MOOG brand is the preferred choice of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs, according to the company. In recognition of the vital importance of steering and suspension components in overall vehicle safety and performance, NASCAR mandates that Cup teams use MOOG Problem Solver parts, specifically ball joints and tie rod ends.

To learn more about MOOG products, contact your MOOG Steering and Suspension supplier or visit the technician-focused moogproblemsolver.com website.