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KFC® in the News |
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KFC® in the News |
| Contacts: Michael Tierney (502) 454-2692 Jean Litterst (502) 456-8366 Kimberly Neumann, KFC Corporation - (502) 456-8395 Steve Barry, January & Associates- (615) 377-9111 |
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LOUISVILLE, KY., July 15, 1997 -- KFC is on the go with its new Chicken Twister sandwich and newly formed "Team Twister" trio of NASCAR drivers. To celebrate KFC's first cold chicken menu item, Chicken Twister, the company will be the first sponsor in NASCAR history to have race teams in all three major NASCAR series-Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck.
Team Twister includes three great NASCAR drivers and their teams-Rich Bickle, driving the Winston Cup car for owner Darrell Waltrip Motorsports; Kenny Irwin, Jr., driving the Busch Series car for Liberty Racing's Jim Harrick and Brad Daugherty; and Mike Skinner, piloting the Craftsman Truck for Great Dane Racing and owner Dana Dorman.
"KFC is excited to be a part of one of the world's fastest-moving sports," said Randy Gier, KFC Senior Vice President-Marketing. "Just as our new Chicken Twister is earning kudos from customers 'racing' through lunch, we expect KFC's Team Twister to fire up the fans in three different races during one incredible fast-paced weekend of NASCAR racing. We're extremely proud that KFC is sponsoring three top-level teams in three great races.
Team Twister will be competing in the races surrounding the 1997 running of the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). Mike Skinner will kick things off with the Cummins 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) on Thursday, July 31. Kenny Irwin, Jr. will run the Kroger 200 at the IRP on Friday, August 1. Rich Bickle caps off the week with the Brickyard 400 at IMS on Saturday, August 2.
Team Twister's on-the-go image reflects KFC's newest menu item, the Chicken Twister sandwich. The Twister, KFC's first "cold" chicken sandwich, is "like a meal, wrapped up and ready to go." The KFC Twister consists of tender chunks of chicken, shredded lettuce, juicy tomatoes, bits of real bacon, shredded cheese and a specially blended ranch dressing-all neatly wrapped in a soft pita bread.
Three-time Winston Cup Champion Darrell Waltrip will serve as the "Official Team Twister Coach," providing a link to the days when KFC was an associate sponsor of Junior Johnson's "Double Thunder" race teams with drivers Waltrip and Neil Bonnett. From 1984-1986, while carrying KFC colors, Waltrip sped to 13 victories and became the first driver to win more than $1 million in a single season. "It's extremely exciting for me to be reunited with my friends from Kentucky Fried Chicken," said Darrell. "You'll probably think I'm making this up because KFC is sponsoring our race car, but chicken is my favorite food. Honestly, I'd eat chicken three times a day."
Craftsman Truck driver Mike Skinner also has KFC ties from 1994 when KFC operators in the Carolinas and East Tennessee sponsored him in a limited Busch Series. That year, Skinner turned heads when he won the pole position for the Champion Spark Plug 300. Skinner was tapped by Richard Childress, who put him in his Craftsman Truck where he won the title in his first season. Skinner is now racing legend Dale Earnhardt's teammate in the Childress stable.
Winston Cup Series driver Rich Bickle has made 34 NASCAR Winston Cup starts, earning a pole position at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the 1995 Red Dog 300. This season, Bickle has captured two first-place finishes, three pole positions and five top-five finishes in the Craftsman Truck Series for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports.
This is KFC's first outing with Busch Series driver Kenny Irwin, Jr., but from all indications, it should be as successful as the others. Kenny has already won two Craftsman Truck races, and currently leads the "Rookie of the Year" points.
Since its founding by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, KFC has been "America's Leading Kitchen For Convenient Meals," serving customers delicious, already-prepared complete family meals, sandwiches and snacks at affordable prices. There are more than 9,900 KFC outlets in 76 countries around the world serving nearly seven million customers each day. Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp. (KFC), based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in both fried and roasted chicken pieces and homestyle sides.
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KFC RACING
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