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Schrader Will Drive The Famed Number 21 Car in 2006 Sponsored By The Newest
Face in NASCAR -- Little Debbie Snacks
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY, Fla., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- NASCAR veteran Ken
Schrader has joined the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Team. Hell drive the famed
Number 21 Ford Fusion during the 2006 Nextel Cup season. The car will be
sponsored by the newest face in NASCAR -- Little Debbie, Americas #1 snack
cake.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051118/CLF027)
"I look forward to establishing a winning tradition with Wood Brothers/JTG
Racing and Little Debbie Snacks," says Schrader. "Some of the most victorious
drivers in NASCAR history have driven the Number 21 car. I intend to continue
that winning tradition in 2006."
"Three years ago, I thought that 2005 could be my last season. However,
when the opportunity to drive for the Wood Brothers and Little Debbie
presented itself, it made my decision to continue driving in the Nextel Cup
Series very easy," says Schrader. "There is always excitement when a new
company realizes the marketing potential of NASCAR for increasing its business
and then decides to enter the sport. This is going to be fun!"
Schrader becomes the latest in a long line of winning drivers for the
Number 21 team founded by Glen Wood in 1953. The family-operated racing team
has 96 career victories.
Little Debbie -- The Newest Face in NASCAR
Little Debbie will be the primary sponsor of the Number 21 car for 19
races in 2006. Motorcraft Quality Parts and the U.S. Air Force will rotate
their sponsorship of the Ford Fusion for the remaining races during the 2006
season.
"Weve been fans of NASCAR, the Wood Brothers, and Ken Schrader for many
years, so sponsoring the Number 21 car is a way to show our support for a
great sport, a great race team, and a great driver," says McKee Foods CEO
Jack McKee. "From a business perspective, this is a perfect fit for our brand
because NASCAR fans are Little Debbie fans."
Collegedale, Tennessee-based McKee Foods, a privately held, family-run
company, has manufactured more than 150 billion Little Debbie snacks since
1960 -- thats enough to circle the 1.5-mile oval track at Homestead-Miami
Speedway more than 1.3 million times. Little Debbie snacks have even orbited
the Earth on the space shuttle, traveling more than 17,500 miles an hour.
"The Little Debbie team knows a thing or two about going fast and so do
we," says car co-owner Eddie Wood. "We also share the same core beliefs of
integrity, value, quality, innovation, and a burning desire to win. This is a
great partnership."
"Wood Brothers/JTG Racing looks forward to winning on the track and in the
marketplace with this new partnership," said Wood Brothers/JTG Racing co-
owner, Tad Geschickter. "We are already working on promotions that will bring
racing excitement to NASCAR fans all across the country. The combination of
the new sponsorship, our marketing teams expertise, and one of NASCARs
favorite personalities will provide plenty of opportunities for NASCAR fans to
continue making Little Debbie snacks their #1 choice."
The Number 21 Little Debbie-sponsored car was unveiled following a news
conference today at the Homestead Miami Speedway. A $21,000 check was
presented to the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund to offer immediate assistance
to victims of Hurricane Wilma in southern Florida.
About Ken Schrader
NASCAR driver Ken Schrader, age 50, is a 21-year veteran of NASCARs top
series. He has an incredible record including four victories, 64 top-five
finishes and 182 top-10 finishes in his Cup career. His competitiveness
drives him to enter more than 100 races per year in various series and types
of cars. As one of NASCAR fans favorite personalities, Ken is seen inside
the garage as one of the series fiercest competitors. Schrader also drives
for his own team in the Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR West Series, ARCA, and
Southwest Tour Series. For more information, visit
http://www.schraderracing.com.
About Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
Glen and Leonard Wood founded the Wood Brothers Racing team in 1953. The
Ford-based team has earned 96 victories and is currently managed by Glens
children, Eddie, Len and Kim. The Wood Brothers established a partnership in
August with ST Motorsports, owned by Tad and Jodi Geschickter. The newly
formed Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team will field teams in the Nextel Cup,
Busch, and Craftsman Truck Series in 2006. To learn more about the new
partnership, visit http://www.woodbrothersracing.com or
http://www.stmotorsports.com.
About the Little Debbie Brand
McKee Foods Little Debbie brand is Americas No. 1 selling snack cake.
The company has produced more than 150 billion individual snack cakes since
1960. More than 30 Little Debbie single serve snacks are available with
suggested retail prices ranging from 25-79 cents each. There are more than 50
varieties of Little Debbie multi-pack snack cakes with suggested retail prices
ranging from $1.05 to $2.99 per carton. Little Debbie snacks are sold
throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and on U.S. military bases
throughout the world. For more information visit,
http://www.littledebbie.com.
Little Debbie History
Little Debbie is a real person. In 1960, a packaging supplier recommended
to McKee Foods founder O.D. McKee that he name his line of snacks, "Little
Debbie," after his granddaughter. They also decided to use a picture of
Debbie as a young child in play clothes and a straw hat as the basis for the
current Little Debbie logo. The rest is snack cake history. Debbie McKee has
held numerous executive positions with the company and currently serves on the
McKee Foods board of directors.
McKee Foods, with annual sales of over $1 billion, is a privately held
company based in Collegedale, Tennessee. The company makes such popular
brands as Little Debbie Snacks, Sunbelt Snacks & Cereals, Heartland Granola
Cereal, and Blinks -- the first cereal to be eaten right from the bag.
Production facilities are located in Collegedale, Tennessee; Gentry, Arkansas;
and Stuarts Draft, Virginia. McKee Foods employs 6,000 people. For more
information, visit http://www.mckeefoods.com.
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