Nabisco Brands To Continue As “Official Cookies and Crackers” Of NASCAR And As Associate Sponsor Of Stewart-Haas Racing
Kraft Foods Logo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2011) – NASCAR, Stewart-Haas Racing and Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods today jointly announced an extended agreement for Kraft Foods to continue as the Official Cookie (Oreo, Nilla and Nutter Butter) and Cracker (Ritz and Wheat Thins) of NASCAR, and that the iconic Oreo and Ritz brands would continue to serve as Associate Sponsors of Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, respectively, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Kraft Foods, an Official NASCAR Partner since 2000, will continue its long tradition of creating NASCAR-themed, specially-marked packages of Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers for a national consumer sweepstakes. For the first time in 2012, Ritz will host a national digital and social media sweepstakes on its Facebook page where a fan will have the chance to win a prize package to go to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony.
As part of its NASCAR partnership, Kraft Foods will participate in upcoming NASCAR-themed retail programs. In 2011, Kraft Foods was a supporter of NASCAR’s partnership with Dollar General and the Dollar General “Race in to Win” sweepstakes.
“Kraft Foods has been a valued NASCAR partner for more than a decade, and thanks to powerful marketing programs from brands recognized by millions of NASCAR fans – such as Nilla and Ritz – they’ve helped our sport grow,” said Jim O’Connell, chief sales officer, NASCAR. “Kraft Foods understands how to effectively engage our fans through creative activation programs, at both the sanctioning body and team levels, and we’re excited to have them renew their commitment to our sport.”
“NASCAR has been one of our strongest strategic partnerships, and we are very pleased to continue our relationship with both the sanctioning body and with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Michael Tilley, associate director of Kraft Foods consumer engagement. “NASCAR has been a much respected partner, aiding us in connecting with its many ardent fans across the nation. We look forward to a great year in 2012 with exciting activation plans.”
“We’re obviously very proud to have Oreo and Ritz on our race cars and grateful for Kraft Foods’ support of Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Tony Stewart, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. “Kraft Foods’ partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing goes beyond the race track, as their activation has helped raise the profile of our race team and NASCAR. Our success on the track is made possible by all of our partners, and Kraft Foods is no exception.”
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America’s premier sports. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages. In the U.S., races are broadcast on FOX, TNT, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2, SPEED and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. NASCAR fans are among the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 100 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. Also part of NASCAR is GRAND-AM Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., NASCAR has offices in eight cities across North America. The next NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, the seventh in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, will air Oct. 30 on ESPN at 2 p.m. ET. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.nascar.com. Follow NASCAR on www.facebook.com/NASCAR or on Twitter: @NASCAR.
About Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) is a global snacks powerhouse with an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love. Proudly marketing delicious biscuits, confectionery, beverages, cheese, grocery products and convenient meals in approximately 170 countries, Kraft Foods had 2010 revenue of $49.2 billion. Twelve of the company’s iconic brands – Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Tang and Trident – generate revenue of more than $1 billion annually. On Aug. 4, 2011, Kraft Foods announced plans to divide and create two independent public companies: a high-growth global snacks business with estimated revenue of $32 billion and a high-margin North American grocery business with estimated revenue of $16 billion, based on 2010 financial results, adjusted for divestitures. The transaction will take at least 12 months to complete, during which time plans regarding the structure, management, governance and other matters will be announced. A leader in innovation, marketing, health & wellness and sustainability, Kraft Foods is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index. Visit www.kraftfoodscompany.com and www.facebook.com/kraftfoodscorporate.
About Stewart-Haas Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing is the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world. The team fields two entries in the elite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart and the No. 39 U.S. Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman. Based in Kannapolis, N.C., Stewart-Haas Racing operates out of a 140,000-square-foot facility with more than 150 employees. For more information, please visit us on the Web at www.StewartHaasRacing.com on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing and on Twitter at @StewartHaasRcng.
- NASCAR, Press Release
