[media-credit name=”Jr Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”296″][/media-credit]Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Cole Whitt Unveil No. 88 “Join The Dew Crew” Chevrolet At Hartsville, S.C. Walmart Store
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
• Cole Whitt to drive No. 88 “Join the Dew Crew” Chevrolet at Iowa on May 20th.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Whitt unveil car at Walmart Race Time event Thursday.
• Fans can join the Dew Crew at www.DewCrew.com
HARTSVILLE, S.C. (May 10, 2012) – In front of a frenzied crowd at Walmart’s Race Time event Thursday night, JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and driver Cole Whitt unveiled the No. 88 “Join the Dew Crew” Chevrolet that Whitt will drive in the May 20th NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway.
The unveiling was part of a one-race partnership announcement between JR Motorsports and PepsiCo that will drive awareness of Dew Crew, an online Facebook community that gives fans the opportunity to get more involved with Dale Jr. and Diet Mountain Dew, while having a voice and making key decisions for the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team. Fans can become a member of the Dew Crew free of charge at www.DewCrew.com.
A first-year driver for JR Motorsports, Whitt will pilot the No. 88 “Join the Dew Crew” Chevrolet in the Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 at Iowa. He is currently fifth in the Nationwide Series point standings eight races into his rookie season.
“This is a great opportunity for Cole and JR Motorsports,” said Earnhardt Jr. “PepsiCo has been a great partner of mine at Hendrick Motorsports, and the Diet Mountain Dew brand is extremely popular with the fans. There are already a lot of Dew Crew members, but our goal is to get more.”
Thursday night’s event was the second of three appearances Earnhardt Jr. will make at Walmart’s Race Time “retailtainment” events this year on behalf of Diet Mountain Dew. This was the second year in a row NASCAR’s nine-time Most Popular Driver visited the Hartsville, S.C. Walmart store, located just 13 miles from where he and Whitt will race this weekend at Darlington Raceway.
“Anyone who has followed racing knows the Dew Crew is legendary, going back to Darrell Waltrip’s team when he was winning all those races in the No. 11 Mountain Dew car,” said Whitt. “Now the Dew Crew includes not just Dale Jr.’s pit crew but everyone, and I’m excited to carry the Dew Crew on my car during the Iowa race. It should be a good time.”
Fans that visit and join the Dew Crew Facebook app will have instant access to exclusive content, including videos, photos, vignettes about the Dew Crew’s history in motorsports, trivia, and up-to-the-minute updates of Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard team for Hendrick Motorsports. Fans also will have the ability to vote on decisions directly affecting the No. 88 race team.
Social Media Starters –
Dale Earnhardt Jr. & @ColeWhitt unveil Dew Crew Chevrolet for @JRMotorsports. Go to DewCrew.com for pictures & info. Driver @ColeWhitt to bring Dew Crew to @IowaSpeedway with special scheme on @JRMotorsports No. 88. Go to DewCrew.com for info. Dale Earnhardt Jr. appears at Hartsville, S.C., Walmart, unveils No. 88 Dew Crew Chevrolet to be driven by @ColeWhitt at @IowaSpeedway.
ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS: Based in Mooresville, N.C., JR Motorsports is the management company and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s nine-time Most Popular Driver and winner of more than 40 NASCAR-sanctioned races. JR Motorsports competes in multiple racing divisions, including the NASCAR Nationwide Series where the team owns 10 victories. To learn more about the organization and its stable of drivers which include Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt, visit www.jrmracing.com. The JR Motorsports facility also houses the JR Nation retail store, Hammerhead Entertainment and JRM Licensing.