There are fewer things better than reacquainting with a longtime friend. If the old friend brings along sponsorship, that's the icing on the cake.

This scenario is precisely what happened this weekend for Pro Modified racer Steve Matusek when he and Fran Vivenzio got together for the Denso NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Matusek qualified No. 9 in the 16-car Pro Modified field with his turbocharged Mustang sporting sponsorship from Tequila Comisario, a premium tequila brand. Tequila Comisario is part of the Elite Beverage International group.

"Fran was with Agave Underground when Danny [Rowe] and I were racing together, and we've been talking about it for quite some time," Matusek said.

If one might think the sponsorship was great, for Matusek, the perks of being associated with Tequila Comisario go beyond part of the company's marketing activation.

"One of the stockholders in the company is Franco Harris, and they've got some pretty high profile people," Matusek explained. "I got to meet Franco last year, which was awesome because he's a boyhood idol of mine because I grew up in Pittsburgh.

"It just kind of came together and he had an opportunity and we've been talking back and forth and the deal was pretty much signed on Friday of last week. So this happened in a matter of days, but we got that drag race mentality so we pulled it all together."

Vivenzio, who is Vice President - National Sales Manager of Elite Beverage, knew Matusek provided a perfect fit. Drag racing provided the ultimate platform.

"It just was a match made in heaven," Vivenzio said. "I love coming to the races, and I love tequila. I've always been very passionate about drag racing myself. I drag raced as a kid many, many years ago. I lived probably less than 10 miles from the Englishtown track. I grew up in New Jersey. So we'd be out there every weekend, running our street cars and stuff like that. So, I was very passionate about it.

"When the opportunity arose a few years ago to hook up with Danny Rowe Racing, I mean, I was like a kid in a candy store. My fire started again. And even without sponsoring, I'd go to quite a few races. I live in Arizona, so I always go to the Phoenix race with a group of friends. In fact, a couple of them were just here. So, it's just been for me, passionate. I love it."

And as Matusek and Vivenzio see it, those are the best kind of deals.