PPG Industries' (NYSE:PPG) automotive refinish business is pleased to congratulate the U.S. Olympic four-man bobsled team on winning the gold medal during the Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. The victory, achieved in the PPG-painted Bo-Dyn Night Train bobsled, was the first four-man bobsled Olympic gold medal the United States has won since the 1948 games.
The U.S. team - led by driver Steve Holcomb, with pushers Justin Olsen and Steve Mesler and brakeman Curt Tomasevicz - raced to two heat records and went on to win the event, limiting the German and Canadian bobsledding powerhouse teams to silver and bronze medals respectively.
"This was a big, big win for the team, the U.S. and PPG," said veteran NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine. "PPG has supported this team with great product and technical assistance for 18 years. They're a key part of our success, and we're thrilled they're part of this."
The Night Train sled resulted from Bodine's efforts to provide U.S. athletes with bobsleds designed using advanced racecar technology. Bodine got involved with bobsledding after noticing in 1992 that U.S. athletes were competing with European-made sleds. He was determined to create a "Made in America" sled that would be competitive and capable of taking U.S. teams to the medals podium.
PPG got involved with Bodine from the start by providing sleek coatings that looked great and withstood the challenging conditions of bobsledding. The Night Train sled featured Deltron DBC9700 black and DCU2060 clearcoat coatings from PPG Automotive Refinish.
The U.S. team is now a consistent medal winner on the World Cup circuit, and the PPG-painted sleds and their technology are recognized as being some of the best in the world. Their signature quality is how quiet they are compared to other sleds when racing.