Wendy’s $5 Biggie™ Bag To Adorn No. 62 Chevrolet at NASCAR’s Biggest Oval Track

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. (April 18, 2022) – Wendy’s® (Nasdaq: WEN) has joined Beard Motorsports and driver Noah Gragson as its primary partner for the GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup Series race April 24 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Fresh off an impressive activation on the biggest stage in college basketball, where Wendy’s was the Official Breakfast of March Madness®, the company is shifting gears and traveling to the biggest oval track in NASCAR to share the fan-favorite $5 Biggie™ Bag with race enthusiasts.

Talladega is a high-banked, high-speed 2.66-mile oval and it’s where Gragson will drive the No. 62 Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag Chevrolet Camaro in his second start for Beard Motorsports after debuting with the team in the season-opening Daytona 500.

“It was awesome to make my Cup Series debut with Beard and ever since Daytona I’ve been looking forward to rejoining them at Talladega,” said the 23-year-old Gragson. “We’ve got Wendy’s on board with us as they launch their $5 Biggie Bag promotion and I’m genuinely stoked about it. This is the first time they’ve been on a racecar in almost 20 years and they’re doing it with me. I’m proud of that and proud to have them at Beard Motorsports. Wendy’s has really embraced NASCAR as they’ve gone all in at Talladega.”

The $5 Biggie Bag comes complete with the choice of a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, Double Stack™, or a Crispy Chicken BLT with four-piece chicken nuggets (Spicy or Crispy), small Hot & Crispy Fries, and a small soft drink. A lot of flavor, a lot of value, a lot of choices.

The Biggie-st, baggiest meal deal is lapping the competition and going big at Talladega. In addition to its red-white-and-blue No. 62 Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag Chevrolet Camaro, Wendy’s will have a pop-up restaurant in the infield at Talladega where fans can get their own $5 Biggie Bag without missing any of the racing action.

“A NASCAR race has an absolutely indescribable energy, and there’s no better place to promote our $5 Biggie Bag than at Talladega – the biggest oval track in NASCAR,” said Carl Loredo, Chief Marketing Officer for The Wendy’s Company. “Noah is an impressive person. He’s a brash racecar driver who doesn’t give an inch on the racetrack, but off the track, he has a genuine personality that deeply resonates with fans. Our partnership with him and Beard Motorsports is a great way to share our brand and get high-quality, great-tasting food in the hands of the most passionate fans in motorsports.”

Wendy’s founder is Dave Thomas, who founded the restaurant in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio. Today, Wendy’s and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across approximately 7,000 restaurants worldwide.

Beard Motorsports was founded by the late Mark Beard Sr., and is now run by his wife, Linda Beard. The generational race team has proven to be the little team that could, a modern-day David competing against the Goliaths of the NASCAR Cup Series.

“My dad was a ‘Go big or go home’ kind of person and that’s why Talladega and Daytona have been the tracks where we’ve decided to go and compete against the biggest teams in NASCAR. It’s a challenge and we love it,” said Amie Beard, Executive Vice President, Beard Motorsports.

“When you taste success at this level, it just makes it that much more rewarding. We take a lot of pride in what we do and how we do it. We’re about quality over quantity, and that’s how we plan to take care of Wendy’s and promote their $5 Biggie Bag at Talladega.”

Beard Motorsports makes it all work by taking a strategic approach to its racing endeavors. It runs only the superspeedway races at Talladega and its sister track, Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Gragson is a six-time winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the stepping-stone division to the elite NASCAR Cup Series. Three of those victories came last season, netting Gragson a coveted spot in the NASCAR Playoffs where he advanced all the way to the Championship 4 finale, finishing a career-high third in points. Gragson continues to compete fulltime in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports while making select starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.

About Wendy’s:

Wendy’s was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the premise, “Quality is our Recipe®,” which remains the guidepost of the Wendy’s system. Wendy’s is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef*, freshly-prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked potatoes and the Frosty® dessert. The Wendy’s Company (Nasdaq: WEN) is committed to doing the right thing and making a positive difference in the lives of others. This is most visible through the Company’s support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption® and its signature Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® program, which seeks to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Today, Wendy’s and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across approximately 7,000 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the world’s most thriving and beloved restaurant brand. For details on franchising, connect with us at www.wendys.com/franchising. Visit www.wendys.com and www.squaredealblog.com for more information and connect with us on Twitter and Instagram using @wendys, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wendys.

*Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Canada.

March Madness is a registered trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Despite his lack of experience racing on clay, rookie Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team came away from Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race with a 20th-place finish.

Burton who qualified 24th, finished 27th in the first 75-lap Stage, then ended the second Stage in 24th.

He and the DEX team gained some track position by not pitting after the second Stage, and he was able to run mostly inside the top 20 for the remainder of a race that was stopped twice for rain but would up running the full 250-lap distance.

During one of the rain delays, Burton said in a TV interview that he was “as lost as last year’s Easter egg” trying to figure out dirt racing, but in reality his experiences on this Easter weekend showed that he and the DEX team were learning on the go.

He stayed on the lead lap for the entire race and steered his way clear of damage during several close calls on the track.

“This dirt stuff was really new to me,” Burton said. “I had really nothing to base this weekend off of.

“It was a tough one for sure, but I’m proud of the fight and willingness to learn in our group.”

Burton moved up one spot in the Cup Series driver points standings to 28th. He and the No. 21 team now head to Talladega Superspeedway for Sunday’s GEICO 500.

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

Ty Dillon, No. 42 Food City / Gain Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 7th
FINISH: 10th
POINTS: 21st

Ty Dillon Post-Race Thoughts: “I was pretty happy with our Food City/Gain Camaro. It was fast from the moment we unloaded on Friday. We got stuck on the bottom on every restart after the first stage and you just couldn’t get through the field on the bottom. I had a blast though. Dirt racing is fun for me. My roots are dirt racing, so while I haven’t ran a dirt race in about five years, I felt back at home and had a lot of fun. Winning the heat race on Saturday in Lee Petty’s number on dirt, just felt right. I can’t thank Maury Gallagher and Petty GMS for the opportunity. To win our heat race, finish second in the first stage, and bring home our first top-10 this season makes a great weekend for our No. 42 team.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Food City / Tide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 14th
FINISH: 24th
POINTS: 19th

Erik Jones Post-Race Thoughts: “Tonight was an up and down one for our Petty GMS team. We made our way forward and then we fell back. The nose was torn off of our Food City/Tide Chevrolet before the last red flag, so we were worrying about getting mud in the radiator. Dave (Elenz, crew chief) and I aren’t dirt guys, so we were learning as the race went on. Just tried to make up as many spots as we could in the final laps. We will move on and focus on Talladega next week.”

ABOUT PETTY GMS:

Petty GMS competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, operating the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and the No. 43 Chevrolet for Erik Jones. The newly formed team brought together two storied organizations in December 2021. Over the last decade, owner Maury Gallagher built a victorious team, capturing two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships, one ARCA Menards Series title, and two ARCA Menards Series East championships, as well as 65 wins and 235 top-five finishes across six series. Richard Petty, a member of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2010, serves as Chairman of Petty GMS. Petty, known as “The King,” accumulated over 200 wins and was the first of three drivers to win seven championships in the Cup Series. For more information, visit www.pettygms.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow Petty GMS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Post-Race Report | Bristol Motor Speedway
Food City Dirt Race

Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

Start: 6th
Stage 1 Finish: 14th
Stage 2 Finish: 17th
Finish: 14th

“Not the day we wanted in our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1, but we got a good top 15 out of it. I led the team in the wrong direction for changes and got myself behind a little. Overall, it was a productive weekend. We got a heat race win and ran up front during stage one. I just backed myself into a corner, but I’m proud of this team’s effort.” – Justin Haley

Noah Gragson, No. 16 Chevy Truck Month Camaro ZL1

Start: 28th
Stage 1 Finish: 29th
Stage 2 Finish: 33rd
Finish: 27th

“We were trying to keep our No. 16 Chevy Truck Month Camaro ZL1 in one piece – that was my main goal. Unfortunately, I had nowhere to go and got caught up in a wreck. I’m thankful for everyone’s hard work on this Kaulig Racing team. Our first couple of races haven’t gone the way we have wanted them to, but we will keep building. The cars are fast, and I’m starting to learn and get better as we go.” – Noah Gragson

About Kaulig Racing™

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and made the Championship 4 round in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. They will continue fielding three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Landon Cassill, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by AJ Allmendinger. With multiple wins, Kaulig Racing has come to be one of the top competitors on track each weekend. The team made multiple starts in the NCS in 2021 and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The young team has acquired two charters for the 2022 NCS season, with Justin Haley competing as its first, full-time driver in the series. The team’s second entry will be shared by part-time teammates AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric and Noah Gragson. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Austin Dillon And The No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Team Show Dirt Track Racing Prowess Before Early Exit From Bristol Motor Speedway

Finish: 31st
Start: 12th
Points: 17th

“We had such a fast Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet, and I love racing on dirt so I just wish we could have been there for the end. Both of our teams were a little worried about our air boxes because we stayed out at the end of Stage 2 instead of pitting. It didn’t work out for the No. 3 team. Too much dirt got into the engine, and we ended up losing the motor. It’s unfortunate because our Chevy was pretty good, and we had a decent restart before it shut down on me. I’m thankful no one ko’d me there. I fell back so fast that I was waiting for somebody to get me big. I tried to hold it straight. I was just completely out of power. I want to congratulate my teammate, Tyler Reddick, on a great race. He drove his butt off, got up there and was good. He didn’t get his win tonight, but if RCR keeps giving us cars like these we both will be in Victory Lane soon.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick Leads Most Laps of his Career in the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Before Last-Lap Spin at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Race

Finish: 2nd
Start: 3rd
Points: 11th

“I’m proud of this Richard Childress Racing team for everything they have done to put me in the position to win this year. I wish we could have got the 3CHI Chevrolet in Victory Lane tonight, but we were able to finish second. The No. 14 car was able to run me back down there, and it didn’t work out for either of us. When you’re racing on dirt, you’re going to go for the move on the final corner. It’s everything that you hope for as a driver in his situation, to be able to battle for the lead on the final corner. I shouldn’t have let him get that close. He ran me back down. It made it really exciting for the fans. I’m disappointed that we couldn’t win, but proud of this team for all of their hard work, and it was great to be able to run up front all race and lead the most laps of my Cup Series career.” -Tyler Reddick

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Food City Dirt Race

Date: April 17, 2022
Event: Food City Dirt Race (Round 9 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format: 250 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/75 laps/100 laps)
Race Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer (Started 1st, Finished 13th / Running, completed 250 of 250 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 4th, Finished 22nd / Running, completed 250 of 250 laps)
● Aric Almirola (Started 31st, Finished 23rd / Running, completed 250 of 250 laps)
● Kevin Harvick (Started 32nd, Finished 34th / Accident, completed 100 of 250 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (10th with 245 points, 79 out of first)
● Aric Almirola (12th with 237 points, 87 out of first)
● Kevin Harvick (13th with 225 points, 99 out of first)
● Cole Custer (24th with 159 points, 165 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Custer won the Busch Light Pole Award for the Food City Dirt Race by driving from ninth to second in his heat race on Saturday. The passing points he tallied in his heat race earned Custer the pole, his first in the NASCAR Cup Series.
● Custer secured his second top-15 of the season and his first top-15 in two career starts in the Food City Dirt Race.
● Custer’s 13th-place finish bettered his previous best result in the Food City Dirt Race – 24th, earned in the inaugural race in March 2021.
● Briscoe spun on the final lap while in second place as he attempted to pass race leader Tyler Reddick.
● Briscoe won Stage 2 to earn 10 bonus points and one playoff point.
● Briscoe led twice for 59 laps – his first laps led in the Food City Dirt Race.
● Almirola’s 23rd-place finish bettered his previous best result in the Food City Dirt Race – 36th, earned in March 2021.

Race Notes:

● Kyle Busch won the Food City Dirt Race to score his 60th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first in the Food City Dirt Race. His margin over second-place Tyler Reddick was .330 of a second.
● There were 14 caution periods for a total of 82 laps.
● Twenty-six of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Chase Elliott remains the championship leader after Bristol with a three-point advantage over second-place Ryan Blaney.

Sound Bites:

“I was running Tyler (Reddick) down and I just tried throwing a slider. I didn’t expect him to drive in there on me and I was spinning out, I think, either way, and I hit him. I feel terrible. I was wanting to race him clean. I wasn’t going to wreck him for the win. That’s why I tried to slide him and I was trying to leave him enough room if I didn’t get there and that was my fault, 100 percent. I hate it for Tyler. He’s a good friend of mine and I wanted to see a dirt guy win if it wasn’t me. That was just racing. I was trying to go for the win and I feel terrible for him.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang

“We did a terrible job prepping the track and full of mud and there was nobody here to pack the track, so we all look like a bunch of bozos coming in to pit because we don’t know how to prep the track. And then we don’t get the lucky dog for whatever reason with two cars on pit road, and then we got run over. I don’t know who ran us over at the end.” – Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Latte Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the GEICO 500 on Sunday, April 24 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

KYLE BUSCH DRIVES PAST LAST LAP INCIDENT TO SCORE THE VICTORY
After the leaders tangle, Kyle Busch drives by them both to earn his ninth Bristol Cup Series win

BRISTOL, Tenn. (April 17, 2022) – Kyle Busch led just one lap – but it was the right one. The nine-time Bristol winner passed both Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe, who tangled on the final corners, to score his first victory of the season. With the win, Busch has now won in 18 consecutive seasons – tying Richard Petty for the most all-time. It was Busch’s 60th career Cup Series victory.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt
Race 9 of 36 – 125 miles, 250 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, KYLE BUSCH
2nd, Tyler Reddick*
3rd, Joey Logano*
4th, Kyle Larson*
5th, Ryan Blaney*
7th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
21st, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
28th, BUBBA WALLACE
32nd, KURT BUSCH
35th, DENNY HAMLIN
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Crunchy Cookie Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

Did you ever think you would win one like you did tonight?
“Yeah, we backed into that one didn’t we. Sure feels good just to get a win. It’s been a little bit of a long time here, but overall, just a great day. Really appreciate – just proud of the guys. They work hard. We all work hard. We all work way too hard. There’s not a lot of rewards in the sport except winning. You could come home with a second-place day and not get everything that you wanted from the day and from what you put into it. It’s always good when you win. I appreciate M&M’s and this Crunchy Cookie Camry TRD. It was awesome to keep pace with those two. I don’t know why our car would not refire after the rain both times. I was leading on the first big rain delay coming back and I fell to eighth and I was able to drive back through on the long run and get back into position. Then on that one again, same thing and I fell off and couldn’t hang. It got me about 20 laps to get going, but overall, just great to get back in victory lane. Thank you to Rowdy Energy, Toyota, Interstate Batteries, Sport Clips, DeWalt, Breathe Right Nasal Strips, everybody that gets us here.”

What does tonight show what you’ve learned about dirt racing and the new car?

“The biggest thing was just trying to stay in contention. Those restarts were really helpful when you had an outside restart. When we come back, we need to somehow figure out how to do a choose rule because you just get burned on the inside. Overall, I think that was the biggest thing we learned. There were definitely some things we could improve on. I think the 14 (Chase Briscoe) was arguably the best car. He ran down the 8 (Tyler Reddick) there at the end. It’s just so hard to pass once you get into that rhythm. That right rear in that sticky up top. It’s hard to out accelerate that off the corner with momentum or anything from the bottom of the racetrack. I knew if there was going to be a move being made it was going to be contact being made with how aggressive I know Reddick is as well. Again, just kept myself in the game. It reminded me of Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin at California. Sometimes the seas part ways and you get one, so I’ll take it.”

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About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.