2011-11-10

Kyle Busch Removed from Driving M&M’S® Car for Remaining 2011 Sprint Cup Series Races

Busch to Return as Mars Driver in 2012

AVONDALE, Ariz. (Nov. 10, 2011) – Today Mars, Incorporated, primary sponsor of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota Camry, removed Kyle Busch from driving the M&M'S® car for the remaining two races of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The decision was a result of the incident during last Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. 


The car will not run with an M&M'S® paint scheme until 2012, at which time Kyle Busch will be the driver, with the expectation that no future incident takes place. 

"We strongly support Mars' decision," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "This gives us all time to work together to foster a positive change where Kyle can continue racing in a way we can all be proud of." 

Interstate Batteries, a partner of Joe Gibbs Racing since the team's inception 20 years ago, will be featured on the No. 18 Toyota Camry driven by Busch for the final two races of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

 

A press conference with Joe Gibbs Racing owner Joe Gibbs and driver Kyle Busch will be held in the media center of Phoenix International Raceway on Friday at 9:30 a.m. MST to further address this situation. 

-JGR-


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MARS TAKES ACTION ON KYLE BUSCH’S BEHAVIOR

Busch Removed From Driving M&M'S® Car for Remaining 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Races; Set to Return as Mars Driver in 2012

Hackettstown, NJ, November 10, 2011…Mars, Incorporated announced today that they will be removing Kyle Busch from driving the M&M'S® car for the remaining two races of the 2011 NASCAR season as a result of the incident during last Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The car will not run with the M&M'S® paint scheme until 2012, at which time Kyle Busch will be the driver with the expectation that no future incident take place. "As a proud member of the racing community, Mars and the M&M'S® brand strongly support the partnership we have with Joe Gibbs Racing and are committed to NASCAR. Yet, Kyle's recent actions are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of Mars," said Debra A. Sandler, Chief Consumer Officer, Mars Chocolate North America. "While we do not condone Kyle's recent actions, we do believe that he has shown remorse and has expressed a desire to change. We believe our decision will have a positive impact on Kyle and will help him return next season ready to win."

"We strongly support Mars' decision," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "This gives us all time to work together to foster a positive change where Kyle can continue racing in a way we can all be proud of."

About Mars, Incorporated

In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920's, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the philosophy of a "mutuality of benefits" for all stakeholders – this vision serves as the foundation of the Mars, Incorporated we are today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $30 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 65,000 Associates worldwide that are putting our Mars Principles in action to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, KITEKAT®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital and NUTRO®; Chocolate – M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food – UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYKO®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA™, WISDOM PANEL™ and SERAMIS®. For more information, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us: facebook.com/mars, twitter.com/marsglobal, youtube.com/mars.

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Continuing a Tradition: ARCA Visiting Pocono Twice in 2012

For Immediate Release:

Thursday, November 10, 2011

 

(TOLEDO, Ohio) - As has been the case since 1987, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will visit Pennsylvania's Pocono Raceway for two event dates in 2012.

 

Both races on the 2.5-mile triangular track will take place as companion events, one day before NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. The first, an 80-lap, 200-mile event, is scheduled for Saturday, June 9. The second, at 50 laps or 125 miles, will take place Saturday, August 4.

 

"Pocono Raceway is so unique in that it challenges drivers with three widely differing turns in terms of banking and radius, and it incorporates the speed typically associated with superspeedway racing," said Ron Drager, president of ARCA. "Driving at Pocono requires a driver to brake and accelerate, skills acquired in short track racing, so we have found it to be a great track for less experienced drivers to become acclimated to higher speeds."

 

ARCA's Pocono history dates back over 54 prior races to 1969, when Bobby Watson defeated Benny Parsons to win the track's first ARCA race on the now-defunct 0.75-mile oval at the facility. The June race, though, will be ARCA's first since the summer retirement of track owners Joseph and Rose Mattioli. Track president Brandon Igdalsky, a grandson of the Mattiolis, has risen to chief executive officer.

 

"Our tenure at Pocono dates back to 1969 and spans three generations of family members on both the ARCA and Pocono management teams," Drager said. "Dr. Joe and Rose Mattioli and John and Mildred Marcum started the tradition we carry on today with Brandon and Nick Igdalsky, who were named by 'Doc' to senior executive positions this past season."

 

2012 will be the 26th consecutive year that ARCA has contested two annual races at Pocono Raceway. Bob Schacht won both races at the track in 1987, the first year that ARCA scheduled two races on the "Tricky Triangle." This season's events will be the 54th and 55th for the ARCA Racing Series on Pocono's 2.5-mile oval. Tim George Jr. won a rain-shortened event this June, and eventual series champion Ty Dillon gave Richard Childress Racing a Pocono sweep for 2011 by winning in August.

 

Tim Steele is the all-time wins leader at Pocono with nine (including five consecutive from 1996-98), and he is closely followed by Schacht (six) and Bob Keselowski (five). Familiar names like Ryan Newman and Joey Logano dot the winner list.

 

More detailed schedule information for the season will be available shortly. The following race dates for the 2012 ARCA Racing Series schedule have been announced:

 

February 18 - Daytona International Speedway

March 10 - Mobile International Speedway

May 4 - Talladega Superspeedway

June 9 - Pocono Raceway

July 1 - New Jersey Motorsports Park

August 4 - Pocono Raceway

 

The ARCA Racing Series will wrap up the 2011 season with the Championship Awards Banquet at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Ky., near Cincinnati, on Saturday, December 10.

 

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards featured 19 events at 16 tracks on its 2011 schedule. The series has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. In 2011, the series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course.

 

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

 


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North American Endurance Championship Highlights 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Schedule

November 9, 2011

 

Daytona, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis To Decide DP, GT Endurance Champs

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 9, 2011) – GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series competitors will compete for an exciting new three-race endurance championship, highlighting the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series schedule announced today.

 

The inaugural North American Endurance Championship will feature the 50th anniversary running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International on June 29-July 1 and the Rolex Series’ three-hour debut race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27 during the inaugural "Super Weekend at the Brickyard."

 

The 13-race schedule also includes GRAND-AM’s first visit to Detroit – the automotive capital of the world – on June 2, and the return to many of North America’s premier circuits, including Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal; Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.; Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio; Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.; Homestead-Miami Speedway; New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.; and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

 

"This is without doubt the strongest schedule in GRAND-AM history," said GRAND-AM President Tom Bledsoe. "Highlights are everywhere you look … new races, new places – and a new three-race championship. We’re going to make a lot of sports car history in 2012."

 

Teams in both the Daytona Prototype and production-based GT classes will compete in the North American Endurance Championship. Point structure and purse for the championship will be announced in the near future. Awards for the championship will be presented at dusk on the Victory Podium at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, following the historic race on the 2.605-mile road course.

 

In addition to featuring GRAND-AM’s solid lineup in both classes, several top teams have indicated they will field additional cars with all-star drivers to compete in the three endurance races.

 

"I think the North American Endurance Championship adds more excitement to an already exciting schedule," said four-time Rolex Series Daytona Prototype champion Scott Pruett. "The Rolex 24 is clearly the highlight of our season, and I’m very excited with the addition of Indianapolis. The new championship gives further emphasis on our three endurance races."

 

The Rolex Series will combine with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series twice – on Indianapolis’ historic tripleheader weekend (July 26-29) and at Watkins Glen International – and with the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Road America and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Two Rolex Series events will be in companion with IndyCar, at Detroit and Barber.

 

2-2-2-2

GRAND-AM 2012 Schedules

 

Following the season-opening events at Daytona and Barber, the Rolex Series moves to Homestead-Miami Speedway, followed by a visit to New Jersey Motorsports Park. Following the Detroit Belle Isle race, the series returns to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. In addition, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s event shifts to September.

 

The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will run in conjunction with the Rolex Series at 10 of the 13 weekends, including Indianapolis.

 

Potential season-ending events for both series are still to be announced.

 

(Note: Dates listed below are for event weekend, excluding the Daytona, Indianapolis and Detroit Belle Isle races. Remaining specific race days for each series will be announced in the near future.)

 

GRAND-AM Rolex Series 2012 Schedule of Events


Jan. 28-29          Daytona International Speedway                     

Mar 30-April 1     Barber Motorsports Park                                   

April 27-29          Homestead-Miami Speedway                            

May 11-13          New Jersey Motorsports Park                           

June 2                Detroit Belle Isle                                   

June 8-10           Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

June 22-24         Road America                                      

June 29-July 1    Watkins Glen International                     

July 27                Indianapolis Motor Speedway                           

Aug 10-12           Watkins Glen International                     

August 17-19      Circuit Gilles Villeneuve             

Sept. 7-9             Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca               

Sept. 28-30         TBA

 

GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge 2012 Schedule of Events


Jan. 27               Daytona International Speedway                       

Mar 30-April 1     Barber Motorsports Park                                   

April 27-29          Homestead-Miami Speedway                            

May 11-13          New Jersey Motorsports Park                           

June 8-10           Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

June 22-24         Road America                                      

June 29-July 1    Watkins Glen International                     

July 27                Indianapolis Motor Speedway                           

Sept. 7-9             Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca               

Sept. 28-30         TBA

 


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