NW Ohio company putting logo in fast lane

Widow Wax to sponsor Sprint Cup race car

Widow Wax, based in Hicksville, Ohio, and owned by Justin Kuhn and Jason Dietsch, will be seen on Dave Blaney's Sprint Cup car.

HICKSVILLE, Ohio -- A fledging car care company will get some national exposure this weekend at about 120 mph.

Widow Wax, launched in January by entrepreneurs Justin Kuhn and Jason Dietsch, has signed a deal to sponsor the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday and to sponsor driver Dave Blaney's No. 36 car during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race there Sunday.

"It's huge," Mr. Dietsch said of the deal. "We don't know what's going to happen here in the next couple of weeks."

The automotive wax isn't yet available at retailers, but Mr. Dietsch said Widow Products is in discussions with several national retailers to get the wax in stores. Currently the wax is being sold through the company's Web site and by vendors at events such as Daytona Bike Week.

Mr. Dietsch said 12,000 bottles, which retail at $19.99 apiece through their site, have sold since Jan. 1. He said the venture is turning a profit, which has been reinvested into the company for marketing and development of companion products.

"For two regular guys, it's just taken off like crazy," Mr. Dietsch said. "What we're doing now, we thought we'd be doing five years from now."

The Widow Wax logo will be featured on Ohio native Dave Blaney's car for eight races in the Sprint Cup series, which is the highest level of NASCAR. His son Ryan Blaney's car will sport the paint scheme in six Nationwide series races. The Nationwide series is NASCAR's second-highest level.

"We're really trying to hit the market hard. With all this TV coverage, it's just huge," Mr. Dietsch said.

He declined to comment on the cost of the sponsorship deal, which was put together through Welch and Wilson Motorsports, Widow Products' distributor.

Mr. Kuhn has struck gold with a new product before. In 2007, he fashioned and marketed a scraping blade that fit reciprocating saws. The "Spyder Scraper" wound up in hardware stores around the country before he ultimately sold the business.

Mr. Dietsch, an amateur auto racer, runs an auto body shop and sells used trailers.

They saw a need for an easy-to-use wax that could be used on a variety of surfaces.

"Not everybody's a professional detailer," Mr. Dietsch said. "We wanted every household to be able to use it and be able to do a really good job, quick and easy. You can put it on and take it right off. You don't have to let it dry, you don't have that chalky build-up."

Widow Wax is made in the United States and distributed out of Hicksville, which is about 75 miles west of Toledo.

The Blaneys are part of the Tommy Baldwin Racing team, based in Moorseville, N.C. Dave Blaney is in 20th place in the Sprint Cup points standings.

In a statement, team owner Tommy Baldwin said, "We are very happy to have Widow Wax come on board and have SealWrap expand their program with us. Both companies have great products that we can use around the shop daily. We're proud of the team's performance this year, and these companies coming on board helps us get to the next level."