NASCAR Fans have First Opportunity to Collect 2001 NASCAR Dodge Intrepid Replica Cars
15 January 2001
General Mills and Dodge Team Up to Offer NASCAR Fans the First Opportunity to Collect Eight 2001 NASCAR Dodge Intrepid R/T 1/64-Scale Replica Cars
MINNEAPOLIS--Jan. 15, 2001--In celebration of Dodge's upcoming return to NASCAR Winston Cup racing after a 15-year absence, General Mills is teaming up with Dodge for the "Dodge Countdown to Daytona" promotion. This promotion will give NASCAR fans the first opportunity to collect 1/64-scale die-cast replicas of eight new Dodge Intrepid R/T racecars.
The General Mills "Dodge Countdown to Daytona" promotion will run from mid-January through February 2001, and will involve four food categories and more that 40 million packages, making it one of the largest package promotions ever assembled at General Mills.
"Dodge's return to NASCAR Winston Cup racing is one of the biggest stories this NASCAR season," said Laurie Greeno, Vice President of Motorsports at General Mills, primary sponsor of the Petty Enterprises No. 43 Cheerios / Betty Crocker Intrepid R/T, driven by John Andretti. "This promotion allows Dodge to reach NASCAR fans in a truly unique way and allows General Mills to offer consumers the first opportunity to collect the new Dodge die-cast cars."
"Our partnership with General Mills and their popular brands is one of the most visible elements of the `Dodge Countdown to Daytona'," said Jim Julow, Vice President - Dodge Division. "The Daytona 500 marks our return to NASCAR Winston Cup racing after a 15-year absence. This promotion is building exposure and interest for the Dodge return and helps fans get to know the Dodge Intrepid R/T cars and drivers as they get ready to take to the track."
As part of the promotion, over 14 million specially marked packages of Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Wheaties and Golden Grahams will feature one of five 1/64-scale Dodge Intrepid R/T die-cast racecars inside. The five replica cars include Bill Elliott's No. 9, Casey Atwood's No. 19, John Andretti's No. 43, Kyle Petty's No. 45 and Stacey Compton's No. 92 Dodge Intrepid R/T and are featured in a "visible value" window on the package that will allow customers to see which car is inside.
Bill Elliott, who will pilot the No. 9 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T in 2001, is featured on the Wheaties package. Elliott has amassed 40 Winston Cup wins during his career and was the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion. In 1987, Elliott recorded the fastest time ever in a stock car, at 212.809 MPH, and after the 2000 season, he received his fifteenth NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award.
The Petty name accounted for 45 of Dodge's 160 NASCAR wins, including 37 by Richard Petty, owner of the No. 43 driven by Andretti. "Dodge has been a big part of the Petty racing history," said Petty, who won three NASCAR championships behind the wheel of a Dodge. "It is exciting for me to see Dodge return to NASCAR and it is also exciting for us to see our sponsor General Mills team up with Dodge to celebrate their return."
Consumers will receive one of three "gold edition" 1/64-scale die-cast Petty Enterprises cars when three UPCs from Hamburger Helper packages are redeemed. The Petty Enterprises "gold edition" die-cast cars include John Andretti's No. 43, Buckshot Jones' No. 44 and Kyle Petty's No. 45 Dodge Intrepid R/T.
Other General Mills brands involved in the "Dodge Countdown to Daytona" promotion include Betty Crocker desserts, Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn, Chex cereals and Bugles. When three participating Betty Crocker dessert products are purchased, consumers will receive a free 1/64-scale die-cast of Ward Burton's No. 22 Dodge Intrepid R/T. Consumers will receive a free die-cast replica of Dave Blaney's No. 93 when two three-count packages of Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn are purchased and a free die-cast of Buckshot Jones' No. 44 Dodge Intrepid R/T when two participating Bugles packages are purchased. Specially marked packages of Chex cereals will feature collectable trading cards of the Dodge Intrepid R/T drivers.
Dodge will make its debut in NASCAR Winston Cup racing at the 2001 Daytona 500 with five teams and ten race cars. The teams include Evernham Motorsports, with Bill Elliott and Casey Atwood; Bill Davis Racing with Ward Burton and Dave Blaney; Petty Enterprises with Kyle Petty, John Andretti and Buckshot Jones; Melling Racing with Stacey Compton; and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and driver Sterling Marlin.
General Mills, the primary sponsor of Petty Enterprises No. 43 Dodge Intrepid R/T, is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer food products, with annual sales exceeding $6 billion. In addition to its Big G cereal business, other major U.S. businesses include snacks; Betty Crocker dessert, side dish and dinner mixes; Gold Medal Flour; and Yoplait and Colombo yogurt. The company's expanding international operations include wholly owned businesses in Canada, Mexico and China, a snacks joint venture with PepsiCo in Europe, and a worldwide cereal join venture with Nestle. General Mills also recently announced plans to acquire Diageo's worldwide Pillsbury operations in a transaction valued at $10.5 billion.
Cheerios(R), Honey Nut Cheerios(R), Golden Grahams(R), Chex(R), Betty Crocker(R), Hamburger Helper(R), Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn(R), Bugles(R) and Wheaties(R) are registered trademarks of General Mills, Inc.