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NASCAR WCUP: Petty Enterprises Unveils No. 43 Pontiacs for the 2000 season

12 October 1999

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

The Famed No. 43 Gets First New Primary Sponsor in 29 Years


CHARLOTTE, N.C.-At a press conference this evening, Petty Enterprises, General Mills and STP unveiled the newly designed No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Pontiac and the No. 43 STP Pontiac that will compete on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit in 2000. Winston Cup driver John Andretti and seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion-turned-car owner Richard Petty were in attendance for the unveiling.

Petty, who has over 200 NASCAR Winston Cup victories to his credit, exercised his creative talents and helped design the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker machine. "I really enjoyed working on the car design," said Petty. "I think it looks great."

The dual car design is a result of a multi-year primary sponsorship agreement announced last month in Darlington, S.C. Under the plan, STP, who has a 29-year relationship with Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises, will be the primary sponsor of the Andretti-driven No. 43 car through the June 2000 Winston Cup race in Sonoma, CA. General Mills will become the No. 43's primary sponsor at the Pepsi 400 in July.

"We are excited about our new relationship with General Mills and expect them to be primary sponsor of the No. 43 car for the next 30 years, just like STP," Petty said. "This is a cooperative transition among companies with trust and respect for each other."

"The Petty name is legendary in auto racing," said Laurie Greeno, Vice President of Motorsports at General Mills. "The Petty name is synonymous with excellence and we are very excited to be partnered with Petty Enterprises and look forward to a long and enjoyable relationship." Cheerios and Betty Crocker are products of General Mills, Inc., a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer food products, with annual sales exceeding $6 billion. Major U.S. businesses include Big G cereals; Betty Crocker dessert, side dish and dinner mixes; snack products; Gold Medal flour; and Yoplait and Colombo yogurts.

Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Gold Medal, and Colombo are registered trademarks of General Mills, Inc.

Yoplait is a registered trademark of Yoplait S.A. France.

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