DHL’s partnership with Palou, Ganassi delivers global success

MONTEREY, Calif. -- DHL signed on with Chip Ganassi Racing three years ago looking for a partnership that could connect its global brand with one of the most successful organizations in American motorsports.

The return has exceeded just about any reasonable expectation.

Alex Palou has won three consecutive NTT INDYCAR Series championships carrying DHL’s familiar red-and-yellow colors, added an Indianapolis 500 victory and helped give the international logistics company a centerpiece for engaging customers and employees around the world.

For Mike Parra, CEO of DHL Europe, the results are impressive. But he believes the relationship works because the two organizations have found far more in common than winning races.

“From the first day, it feels like a big family,” Parra said. “The entire experience from day one till today has just been truly family first.”

DHL moved its primary INDYCAR sponsorship to Chip Ganassi Racing and Palou ahead of the 2024 season. The pairing produced immediate results.

Palou has won the championship in each of DHL’s three seasons with the team, part of a remarkable run in which the Spaniard has won five championships in six seasons. He also delivered the Indianapolis 500 victory that had been missing from his résumé.

The success has helped Ganassi build its INDYCAR record to 18 championships while giving DHL a winning platform tied to one of the sport’s dominant drivers.

“When you think about for us and our brand, three championships in three seasons, a driver that is a great brand ambassador, a company and a team that is well-founded, has a strong belief, strong morals,” Parra said. “When we think about excellence simply delivered, which is DHL, we think about Chip Ganassi Racing.”

For DHL, the value extends well beyond putting its logo on Palou’s car.

The company operates in more than 220 countries and territories, giving it an international customer and employee base that Parra believes fits particularly well with Palou. The champion is from Spain, where Parra also lives, but has built his racing career and profile primarily in North America.

That combination allows DHL to use an INDYCAR sponsorship rooted in the United States as a global marketing platform.

“When you have an international driver like Alex from Spain, grew up in Spain, and now he’s doing well in the United States and in Canada, there is a bit of a mesh, something that works globally and in the U.S. as well,” Parra said. “Our customer base is always global, and as a result of that, any activation here is a global activation as well as a local activation.”

DHL has also used the partnership for more targeted programs, including highlighting small- and medium-sized businesses on Palou’s car and creating experiences that bring employees and customers closer to the team.

Parra said DHL employees have visited Ganassi headquarters and been given behind-the-scenes access that makes them feel connected to Palou’s success rather than simply watching it from afar.

“When you think about what we’ve done with small- to medium-sized enterprises, showcasing them on the car, riding with Alex — again, our employees have felt that they’re part of the success,” Parra said. “It’s a common DNA and a common thread that matches both of our organizations. We’ve absolutely loved every bit of it.”

That connection has become particularly valuable because Palou’s success resonates well beyond INDYCAR’s traditional North American footprint. Parra said DHL customers and employees around the world have followed the run.

“Not only have our customers enjoyed it, our employees have enjoyed it on a global level,” he said. “We’re in 220 countries around the world, and albeit Alex is a Spaniard, I live in Spain. To have that success has gone global from that perspective. So I hope we’ve helped each other along the way to have success.”

Parra also believes there is a cultural fit between DHL and Ganassi that cannot necessarily be measured through traditional sponsorship metrics.

He pointed to dinner held before Sunday night’s season finale at Laguna Seca with Ganassi personnel as an example. Rather than feeling like a corporate function between sponsor and race team, Parra said it felt more like sitting around a kitchen table with family and friends.

That relationship has developed while Palou has piled up trophies and given DHL considerably more exposure than it could have guaranteed when it joined Ganassi.

Parra closed his visit with congratulations to both the organization and its champion — and an appreciation for just how much DHL has been able to celebrate in only three seasons.

“Congratulations to CGR, congratulations to Alex,” Parra said. “Five championships over six seasons, three championships in a row with us, one Indianapolis 500 win. I mean, it’s just simply fantastic.”

And Parra made clear the partnership represents more than the executives who negotiated it or the employees who work with Ganassi each race weekend.

“On behalf of the 610,000 strong of DHL and the DHL Group,” he said, “it’s been an absolute honor to ride along with you over the last three years.”