Deal Names Maxwell House as Primary Racing Sponsor for Six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Races, including DAYTONA 500® in 2016
NORTHFIELD, IL. (April 10, 2015) – Michael Waltrip Racing and Maxwell House today announced a partnership which names the iconic coffee maker as primary racing sponsor for five Sprint Cup races during the 2015 season and the prestigious DAYTONA 500® in February 2016. The 10-month agreement officially kicks off on Aug. 2 with the Pennsylvania 400 at the Pocono Raceway.
“Maxwell House is a well-respected brand and on behalf of our sport, I’d like to welcome them back to NASCAR,” said Clint Bowyer, who will race Saturday evening in the Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. “We pride ourselves on taking care of our sponsors at Michael Waltrip Racing, and we’re certainly going to do our best for them – both on and off the track.”
Bowyer will drive the No. 15 Maxwell House Toyota at Watkins Glen International, Pocono Raceway, Martinsville Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway in the second half of the 2015 season. Waltrip, a two-time DAYTONA 500® champion, will carry the Maxwell House colors at Talladega Superspeedway in October and in the 2016 DAYTONA 500® at Daytona International Speedway.
Maxwell House is no stranger to the racing circuit, having partnered with some of the most well-known drivers in professional racing between 1989 and 2003, including Michael Waltrip. During a press conference this morning at Texas Motor Speedway, the companies jointly unveiled the new Maxwell House Toyota Camry car design, to be fielded by Michael Waltrip Racing.
“Racing fans share a lot of the same qualities as Maxwell House coffee drinkers, including their loyalty to and passion for their favorite brands and sporting events,” said Chris McClement, Senior Director, Maxwell House. “With its excellent reputation and powerful drivers, Michael Waltrip Racing is the perfect partner to help us rev up our brand and bring coffee that is ‘Good to the Last Drop’ to racing enthusiasts nationwide.”
Michael Waltrip Racing, co-owned by Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman, began fielding fulltime Sprint Cup entries as the flagship team for Toyota Racing Development in 2007. They own seven Sprint Cup victories, more than 70 top-five finishes and earned berths in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2012 and 2013.
“It makes me proud to wear the Maxwell House colors again,” said Waltrip, who drove a Maxwell House branded car in 1989. “I am really looking forward to racing at Talladega this fall, but everyone knows how special the DAYTONA 500® is to me, and I want to thank Maxwell House for letting me compete in my 29th Great American Race. Clint and I are going to do everything we can to get the Maxwell House Toyota Camry in victory lane for them.”
Other elements of the sponsorship will include special appearances by the Michael Waltrip Racing team, exclusive behind-the-scenes access for select fans, special in-season and grocery store promotions and sampling at select races. Maxwell House is also an associate sponsor of the remaining Sprint Cup races.
For more information, please visit www.MichaelWaltrip.com or www.MaxwellHouseCoffee.com.
ABOUT MAXWELL HOUSE
Maxwell House, a Kraft Foods Group brand, was originally invented in 1892 by traveling salesman and coffee aficionado, Joel Cheek. Cheek created a special coffee blend for the prestigious Maxwell House hotel in Nashville, Tenn. In 1907 Theodore Roosevelt visited the Maxwell House hotel, and after finishing a cup declared it was “Good to the Last Drop,” which became the brand’s tagline that is still used to this day. Maxwell House brews come from the finest beans, expertly roasted to always stay good to the last drop.
Reflecting the lifestyle of busy, on-the-go Americans, Maxwell House recently introducing a brand new way for coffee drinkers to personalize and enjoy their favorite beverage on ice with the introduction of Iced Coffee Concentrates. Made from Maxwell House coffee and lightly-sweetened, coffee fans can add a squeeze of Iced Coffee Concentrate to water or milk for a great-tasting iced coffee beverage, anytime, anywhere.
For more information, visit www.MaxwellHouseCoffee.com, www.facebook.com/MaxwellHouse and follow @AGoodCoffee on Twitter at www.twiter.com/AGoodCoffee.
ABOUT KRAFT FOODS GROUP
Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: KRFT) is one of North America’s largest consumer packaged food and beverage companies, with annual revenues of more than $18 billion. The company’s iconic brands include Kraft, Capri Sun, JELL-O, Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Planters and Velveeta. Kraft’s 22,000 employees in the U.S. and Canada have a passion for making the foods and beverages people love. Kraft is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 and the NASDAQ-100 indices. For more information about Kraft, visit www.kraftfoodsgroup.com and www.facebook.com/kraft. For delicious recipes, tips and information on Kraft products, visit www.kraftrecipes.com.
