HERSHEY, Pa. -- The Hershey Co. said it is sponsoring the season opening 2006 NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on Feb. 18, 2006. Hershey's Kissables candy, the newest member of the Hershey family of products, is sponsoring the Hershey's Kissables 300 racethe premier Busch series race of the 2006 racing season. The Hershey's Kissables 300 will feature a specially-painted No. 29 Hershey's Kissables Chevrolet fielded by Richard Childress Racing and driven by Kevin Harvick.
Hershey's Kissables, miniature Kisses coated with [image-nocss] a colored candy shell, is available in both single-serve and take-home packages. The launch of Hershey's Kissables single-serve packaging will add a new dimension to the Kisses brand presence within the growing convenience store segment, the company said.
Kissables will also launch in Canada and Mexico before the end of the year.
We look forward to sharing the excitement of the Hershey's Kissables new product launch with race fans during the most famous race weekend in sports, said Jay Cooper, vice president of chocolate for The Hershey Co.
We are excited about connecting with our loyal NASCAR fans and introducing them to our outstanding brands and new products with the leaders in the sport: Daytona International Speedway, Richard Childress Racing, and one of the most exciting driversKevin Harvick, added Bob Goodpaster, vice president of integrated business intelligence and marketing services, The Hershey Co.
It's going to be awesome driving the No. 29 Hershey's Kissables Chevrolet during the Hershey's Kissables 300, Harvick said. This is the third year that The Hershey Co. has given me the opportunity to drive a specially- painted car during one of the most famous weekends in racing. The Busch Series race at Daytona is always very exciting, and I'll do my best to bring the Hershey Kissables Chevy into victory lane.
In other racing news, Richard Childress Racing (RCR) said that GM Goodwrench and Hershey have joined forces as co-primary sponsors of RCR's No. 29 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS driven by Kevin Harvick in the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season.
GM Goodwrench will be the primary sponsor for 24 races, including the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Hershey Company, through its Reese's brand, will be the primary sponsor for 12 races, including the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
We see this as a great opportunity to extend our NASCAR program with a brand like Reese's, said Jim Moloney, general director of GM service and parts operations marketing. We have had a relationship with The Hershey Co. through our involvement with Richard Childress Racing for five years now and it continues to grow and prosper. When we analyzed our GM Goodwrench sponsorship program, we saw a great opportunity to reach a much larger demographic audience by teaming up with The Hershey Co. While it may be strange for fans to see the No. 29 Chevrolet without GM Goodwrench as the lone primary sponsor, the opportunity for additional exposure generated by Reese's is too good to pass up.
These American icons first joined forces through the No. 29 team in 2001 when the REESE's Fast Break candy bar was the sponsor at the season-ending race at New Hampshire International Speedway. In April 2004, ICE BREAKERS Liquid Ice was the sponsor of the No. 29 at Texas Motor Speedway and, this past August, REESE's Big Cup was the sponsor at Bristol Motor Speedway.
GM Goodwrench began its sponsorship with RCR on the No. 3 Chevrolet driven by the legendary Dale Earnhardt as an associate sponsor in 1986 before becoming the primary sponsor in 1988. Hershey began its associate sponsorship in 2001 and is currently an associate sponsor of the No. 29 team. It has also been the primary sponsor of RCR's No. 21 NASCAR Busch Series team since 2003.
Harvick and co-driver Johnny Sauter earned the 2003 NASCAR Busch Series Owners Championship in 2003 in the No 21 PayDay Chevrolet. Harvick has three victories this season in Reese's-sponsored RCR Busch cars (two in the No. 21 Chevrolet he shares duties with Brandon Miller and one in the No. 29 Chevrolet).
Richard Childress Racing has earned more than 125 victories and nine NASCAR championships, including six in the NEXTEL Cup Series with Dale Earnhardt. It was the first organization to win championships in the NEXTEL Cup Series, Busch Series and Truck Series. Its 2005 NEXTEL Cup Series lineup includes Dave Blaney (No. 07 Jack Daniel's), Kevin Harvick (No. 29 GM Goodwrench), Jeff Burton (No. 31 Cingular Wireless) and Kerry Earnhardt (No. 33 Bass Pro Shops). Its Busch Series lineup includes Clint Bowyer (No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet) along with Harvick and Brandon Miller (No. 21 Reese's Chevrolet).
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