Billet Specialties will sponsor Pro Stock racer Steve Spiess for the entire 23-race NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in 2010. Spiess also will run Billet Specialties Comp 5 wheels exclusively on his Chevy Cobalt.

Billet Specialties, which in 2010 will celebrate its 25th year of manufacturing wheels and accessories for the automotive aftermarket, backed Spiess' Chevy during the fall Las Vegas event earlier this year.

"This is a good starting relationship with them and will allow us to run the entire schedule," said Spiess. "Our goal this year was to try to make the top 10, but when it became obvious we weren't going to be able to do that, we sat out a few races to regroup our engine program. We have a pretty good handle on it now, and we're pretty excited about it.

"We'll be running the Comp 5 wheels all year, and they look like a great product. I hope we can show them off to more racers and help Billet sell a few wheels. I think this relationship will be great for both of us. The guys at Billet are all super, and I'm looking forward to working with them."

Spiess will take delivery in January of a new RJ Race Cars-built Cobalt. He hopes to test it in Las Vegas before heading to Pomona for the 2010 season-opening Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals.

After a 10-race get-acquainted season in 2008, in which the former IHRA champ qualified at his final five events, Spiess, owner of a construction business in Manhattan, Ill., competed at 17 events in 2009 and qualified at 13 of them and reached the semifinals of the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in September en route to an impressive 14th-place finish.

"We are excited to sponsor Steve at this level of competition," said Billet Specialties Marketing Manager Scott Sandoval. "We know he's a well-respected racer among his peers. He's right there with the other teams, and we think 2010 could be his year. Pro Stock is one of the most competitive classes in motorsports, and we're excited to be part of it."