LITTLE DEBBIE FORD DRIVER KEN SCHRADER

HEADS INTO SUNDAY’S GOLDEN CORRAL 500

AT THE ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY RANKED #26 IN NEXTEL CUP POINTS

Schrader Will Drive in 112 Races

During the 2006 Season — More Than Any Other NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Driver

             

 

Atlanta, Ga. —Twenty-one-year NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader is looking forward to the Golden Corral 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway this Sunday.  Schrader, who is ranked #26 in NEXTEL Cup points (five places ahead of his 2005 standings at this point), is hoping for greater success than he had in Las Vegas last Sunday.  He had to drop out of the race after just 187 laps after overheating and handling problems. He ended up finishing in 41st place at the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.

 

“That was grim,” says Schrader.  “But, we’re putting Vegas behind us. The Wood Brothers are getting the Little Debbie Ford ready and we’re planning on one sweet ride in Atlanta.”

 

The Atlanta Motor Speedway is considered the fastest track on the NEXTEL Cup circuit.  It includes a mile-and-a-half shaped oval with 24-degree banked turns. In Atlanta, the Wood Brothers team has been successful with 12 wins and nine poles. Schrader won at Atlanta in 1991.  He’s had three top 5 finishes at AMS and 8 top 10 finishes.  His best finishes since that 1991 victory at AWS was #6 in 1996 and #8 in 2001.

 

“We’re looking to race, race, race and show ‘em what we’ve got,” says Schrader, who races more than any other NEXTEL Cup driver and who placed ninth at the Daytona 500 in February.  “We’ve got a great history in Atlanta, and we’re in great shape with the Roush/Yates engine.”

 

Ken Schrader: The Most Active Cup Driver in 2006

 

Schrader is the most active Cup driver in NASCAR this year.  He’s planning to compete in 112 races, including all 36 NEXTEL Cup races, 10 NASCAR Busch Series races, as well as the Craftsman Truck Series, West Series, ARCA, Southwest Tour Series and smaller races on a number of dirt tracks. Schrader’s top 10 performance at Daytona comes on the heels of his 16th victory at the Phoenix International Raceway in the 125-mile Copper Classic, breaking a tie held by Richard Petty for most West Series wins at Phoenix.  He finished 28th in the Auto Club 500 in Fontana, CA this year. He turns 51 on May 29, 2006 — Memorial Day.  His autobiography, Gotta Race, will be published later this year. Retirement is the farthest thing from his mind.

 

“I want to race and I want to win,” says Schrader.  “This is what I want to do.”

 

Schrader becomes the latest in a long line of winning drivers for the Number 21 Wood Brothers team founded by Glen Wood in 1950.  The family-operated racing team has 97 career victories — fourth best in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

 

Schrader has four Cup victories to his credit during his 21-year NASCAR career. Many consider the switch to the Wood Brothers team a big plus.  In fact, according to a January 12, 2006, poll of NASCAR Scene readers, Schrader finished second with 31 percent of the vote when readers were asked which veteran drivers will fare best with his new team in 2006.

 

Little Debbie ? One Sweet Ride!

 

The Little Debbie Ford Fusion is competing in 19 NEXTEL Cup races in 2006.  The Golden Corral 500 is the third appearance for the Little Debbie Ford on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup this year.  Motorcraft Genuine Parts and the U.S. Air Force will rotate their sponsorship of the car for the remaining races during the 2006 season.

 

“Ken and the Wood Brothers team will have the Little Debbie Ford ready to go in Atlanta,” says McKee Foods’ CEO Jack McKee.  McKee Foods manufactures Little Debbie snacks.  “We’re looking forward to a great finish at the Golden Corral 500.”

 

Little Debbie Ford Being Showcased on Millions of Little Debbie Snack Cartons

 

During the 2006 NASCAR season, the Little Debbie Ford race car is featured on millions of cartons of Little Debbie’s best-selling snacks, such as Little Debbie Fudge Brownies, Honey Buns, Oatmeal Creme Pies, Swiss Cake Rolls, Nutty Bars Wafer Bars, and Zebra Cakes.  The new cartons are available in supermarkets and other food retailers nationwide.

 

About Ken Schrader

 

NASCAR driver Ken Schrader, age 50, is a 21-year veteran of NASCAR’s top series.  He has an incredible record including four victories, 64 top-five finishes and 183 top-10 finishes in his Cup career.  His competitiveness drives him to enter more than 100 races per year in various series and types of cars.  As one of NASCAR fans’ favorite personalities, Ken is seen inside the garage as one of the series’ fiercest competitors.  Schrader also drives for his own team in the Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR West Series, ARCA, and Southwest Tour Series. For more information, visit www.schraderracing.com.

 

About Wood Brothers/JTG Racing

 

Glen Wood founded the Wood Brothers Racing team in 1950, while his brother Leonard has always been at his side. The Ford-based team has earned 97 victories and is currently managed by Glen’s children, Eddie, Len, and Kim.  The Wood Brothers established a partnership in August 2006 with ST Motorsports, owned by Tad and Jodi Geschickter.  The newly formed Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team will field teams in the NEXTEL Cup, Busch, and Craftsman Truck Series in 2006.  To learn more about the new partnership, visit www.woodbrothersracing.com.

 

About the Little Debbie Brand

 

McKee Foods’ Little Debbie brand is America’s No. 1 selling snack cake.  The company has produced more than 150 billion individual snack cakes since 1960. Little Debbie snacks have even orbited the Earth on the space shuttle, traveling more than 17,500 miles an hour.  More than 30 Little Debbie single serve snacks are available with suggested retail prices ranging from 25-79 cents each.  There are more than 50 varieties of Little Debbie multipack snack cakes with suggested retail prices ranging from $1.05 to $2.99 per carton. Little Debbie snacks are sold throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and on U.S. military bases throughout the world. For more information, visit www.littledebbie.com.

 

Little Debbie History

 

In 1960, a packaging supplier recommended to McKee Foods founder O.D. McKee that he name his line of snacks “Little Debbie,” after his granddaughter.  They also decided to use a picture of Debbie as a young child in play clothes and a straw hat as the basis for the current Little Debbie logo. Debbie McKee has held numerous executive positions with the company and currently serves as a corporate officer and on the McKee Foods board of directors.

 

About McKee Foods

 

McKee Foods, with annual sales of over $1 billion, is a privately held, family-operated company based in Collegedale, Tenn.  The company makes such popular brands as Little Debbie Snacks, Sunbelt Snacks & Cereals, Heartland Granola Cereal, and Blinks—the first cereal to be eaten right from the bag.  Production facilities are located in Collegedale, Tenn.; Gentry, Ark.; and Stuarts Draft, Va.  McKee Foods employs 6,000 people. For more information on McKee Foods, visit www.mckeefoods.com.

 

 

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