Wheaties Honors Racing Legends
14 March 2000
Wheaties Honors Racing Legends
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BW SportsWire)--March 14, 2000--recognized on series of limited-edition Wheaties packages
unveiled today in Charlotte
that John Andretti will race in The Winston Select on May 20
Wheaties today announced a series of four limited-edition packages commemorating the careers of stock car racing legends Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons and Cale Yarborough.
Petty also helped current No. 43 driver John Andretti unveil the new one-time paint scheme featured on the Wheaties/STP Pontiac that Andretti will race in the upcoming Winston Select on May 20 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.
General Mills, parent company of Wheaties, currently has an associate sponsorship with Petty's No. 43 Pontiac and will take over primary sponsorship of the team with its Cheerios and Betty Crocker brands beginning at Daytona this July.
Each of the packages pays tribute to the remarkable careers of these legendary drivers and will be available primarily throughout the southeastern United States for a limited period of time. A different package will be issued approximately every three to four months for the next year.
"Petty, Jarrett, Parsons and Yarborough have a combined 354 career wins and 13 championships," said Wheaties Marketing Manager Brian Immel. "That's why `The Breakfast of Champions' is proud to honor these four great legends of motor sports. And we're excited to watch John Andretti drive Petty's legendary No. 43 featuring Wheaties colors at the Winston Select in May."
"It definitely is a great privilege for all of us to appear on the Wheaties box and join the elite group of sports figures who have been honored on the package," said Petty. "As our sport continues to grow, it's great that Wheaties is recognizing some of stock car racing's legendary drivers."
In addition to the packages being available in the Southeastern United Sates, for a limited time and in limited quantities racing fans from around the country can purchase the new Wheaties boxes online at www.generalmills.com.
In 1936, Wilbur Shaw became the first race car driver to appear on the Wheaties box. A.B. Jenkins appeared on the fabled orange package in 1939. In 1997, Dale Earnhardt appeared on the package and drove an orange Wheaties-clad No. 3 car in the Winston Select that same year. Petty made an appearance on a "Great Moments in Sports" limited-edition Wheaties box in 1998 that helped raise money for The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.
Wheaties, the venerable "Breakfast of Champions," began its association with sports in the mid 1930s with a sign on the left field wall at old Nicollet Park in south Minneapolis. General Mills' broadcast deal with the minor league Minneapolis Millers included the large signboard that Wheaties would use to introduce its new advertising slogan: "Wheaties--The Breakfast of Champions."
The popular cereal flake in the orange box was born in 1924 when a researcher accidentally spilled a mixture onto a hot stove. The resulting crispy flakes became known as Washburn's Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes, bearing the names of General Mills' predecessor company and its first product. The name was shortened to Wheaties in 1925. In addition to whole-grain Wheaties, other members of the Wheaties family include Frosted Wheaties and Wheaties Raisin Bran.
Satellite Feed Times Available:
Tuesday March 14, 2000 14:30 - 14:45 Eastern Telstar 6 -
Transponder 9 / 3880
MHz, Vertical
Tuesday March 14, 2000 19:30 - 19:45 Eastern GE1 - Transponder 1 /
3720 MHz, Horizontal
Wednesday March 15, 2000 10:30 - 10:45 Eastern Telstar 6 -
Transponder 9 / 3880
MHz, Vertical
Wednesday March 15, 2000 14:30 - 14:45 Eastern Telstar 6 -
Transponder 9 / 3880
MHz, Vertical