Friday

Zach Niessner & Stroupe Brothers Racing Team with Chili’s Grill & Bar Restaurants of Pensacola for Snowflake 100

“Racer Encourages Other Drivers, Teams and Fans to Visit One of America’s Favorite Restaurants While in Town”

CONCORD, NC (November 20, 2009) – A successful and winning weekend for any racecar driver normally means having a strong engine, a good car and the right set up underneath it. But equally important is a strong, knowledgeable and happy crew. And what is one thing that keeps a crew happy? Keeping them fed with good food all weekend long so they can stay focused.

The Stroupe Brothers Racing crew knows that food gets no better than what is found at Chili’s Grill and Bar Restaurant.

That is why Washington-driver Zach Niessner and the Stroupe Brothers Racing team have teamed with Chili’s Grill and Bar Restaurants of Pensacola as a primary sponsor for this year’s running of the Snowflake 100 on December 2-5 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL, part of the Snowball Derby weekend.

“I’m excited to be associated with Chili’s for the Snowball weekend,” said Niessner, who will drive the #2 Chili’s Grill and Bar/2 Dudes Designs Chevrolet in his third Snowflake 100. “Having their help over the weekend will make things a lot better for me and for the entire team. When you are hard at work at the track for hours and hours, the last thing you are thinking about is eating. But when it comes time to leave the track, the first thing you think about it going somewhere together and getting a good meal. And at Chili’s, there are no bad meals. So to have them come on board with us for the weekend will be huge. Hopefully, we can pay them back with spreading the word about the restaurant and getting them into victory lane on Saturday night.”

Snowball Derby fans and teams can find four local Chili’s restaurants to dine at while in town for the Snowball Derby weekend, including 4781 Bayou Blvd in Pensacola, 4480 Mobile Hwy in Pensacola, 529 W. Nine Mile Road in Pensacola or 4701 Highway 90 in Pace.

Chili’s is one of the most recognized restaurants in the entire county, with over 1,400 casual dining establishments, mostly located in the United States and Canada. Chili’s has restaurants in all 50 states and 24 international locations.

Chili’s is best known for their American food menu that has a Tex-Mex influence. The restaurant has everything from their famous “Big Mouth Burgers” to fajitas and quesadillas, baby back ribs and steaks to seafood and Buffalo wings. The menu also contains a large number of appetizers, including the ever-popular homemade salsa, as well as several mouth-watering desserts. Chili’s also offers a full bar that serves a variety of alcoholic drinks.

“There is something for everyone at Chili’s, but my favorites are definitely the burgers, the steaks or the quesadillas,” added Niessner. “But really, there isn’t anything on the menu that isn’t good. That is why we are going to encourage everyone we know to go to Chili’s and eat either before or after the races. When you come into a town that you don’t really know for a weekend like we do so often, you always try and figure out where to go eat. But almost everyone has been to a Chili’s somewhere before, so when you see a Chili’s Restaurant, you know what you are going to get. You don’t have to worry about the quality of the food, because you know you are going to go there and get a good meal and get it at a great price.

“On top of everything else, people in the racing community have always liked to support the sponsors that support local racing. So we are going to do our best to hand out some coupons and get people into the restaurant. They are supporting short track racing, so race fans need to support them. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

Like many drivers, Niessner’s career started in Go-Karts. Zach competed in the NASCAR ranks around the Pacific Northwest and became the youngest driver to qualify for a NASCAR Elite Northwest Series race. Niessner also ran the ASA National Tour, moved to Indianapolis, signed with SS Racing and ran a part-time schedule as a teammate to three-time ASA National Champion Butch Miller. In 2004, Niessner started his own Zach Niessner Racing. An ASA pole at USA International Speedway and pole and third-place finish in the NASCAR Southwest Series event at Irwindale led up to a race win at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, where Zach came in and beat the regulars of the NASCAR Southeast Series, picking up the legendary guitar that goes with winning at the famed high-banked half-mile.

Niessner has had an up and down history at the Snowflake 100. In 2005, Niessner qualified third for the event while racing for SS Racing and ran in the top-five all night long before falling victim to a mid-race accident. In 2008, Niessner ran the event for 5K Motorsports and found himself as high as third late in the race before having to pit under green for tires. He finished 14th.

Niessner will also have sponsorship from Victory Circle Communications, 2 Dudes Designs, Short Track Enterprises and The Decal Source for his Snowflake run.

“I’ve got a lot of great sponsors that are going to help us out. Victory Circle Communications and their association with Racing Radios is an easy fit with me, because I’ve always run Racing Radios in the past. They do such great work. And The Decal Source has made this #2 look really good. I’m pretty sure the car even won the best appearing car award its first time out at the PASS South event in Hickory.

“This year, I feel like we will have the best shot to win. I’m with the best team I’ve been with yet. And I’ve got some of my closest friends who have been working with me for years in racing here to help me. I feel like I have more freedom to do what I want to do and that will mean things should go much better. The competition is always tough, but we’ll do alright.”

When not behind the wheel, Niessner co-owns and runs Short Track Enterprises, in Ellensburg, Washington. STE is a one-stop shop for all a driver’s and team’s racing needs in the Pacific Northwest. Headed by racers Travis Bennett and Niessner, STE performs a variety of services for racers who are in need of a little “help,” from car setup to full vehicle maintenance and preparation. STE can build a new car from the ground up, help get the correct setup for a specific track, repair a wrecked car and fabricate any parts that will help give an added advantage. With knowledge that spans decades and plenty of wins and championships between the owners, STE is becoming the source for running up front and winning in the Northwest and beyond. STE can be found on the web at www.shorttrackenterprises.com.

- 2 Dudes Designs Press Release