Kyle Busch is a ‘Heluva Good!®’ driver, both literally and figuratively.
Busch, who has more than 60 wins throughout NASCAR’s top three divisions, will be sponsored by Heluva Good! brand real sour cream dips, cheeses and condiments in the Feb. 12 NextEra Energy Resources 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
The season-opening race will be the first for Busch as driver/owner for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM).
“You only get one first race,” said Busch, who won the Heluva Good! 200 Camping World Truck Series race in September 2009 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon while driving for another team. “We plan on having Kyle Busch Motorsports involved in NASCAR for a long time and no matter what we do, Heluva Good! will always be the sponsor on our truck for the first race. Obviously it’s huge for them to come on board for Daytona and we’re going to do all we can to put them in victory lane and show them a ‘Heluva Good!’ time.”
Heluva Good! has been heavily involved in NASCAR in recent years and will sponsor two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in 2010, the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 June 13 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, and the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen Aug. 8 at the Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International road course.
“Heluva Good! is pleased to sponsor Kyle Busch at the NextEra Energy Resources 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway,” said Chris Ross, vice president of marketing for Heluva Good!. “The Heluva Good! brand is built on bold flavors and personality, which complement the characteristics of NASCAR’s passionate fan base and align well with Kyle Busch Motorsports.”
Busch has 16 victories in just 69 starts in his Camping World Truck Series career, meaning he has won nearly one-quarter of the races he’s entered.
KBM will field two entries during the 2010 Camping World Truck Series season with Busch piloting the No. 18 Toyota Tundra whenever the Camping World Truck Series runs in companion with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, while Brian Ickler (pronounced “IKE-ler”) will drive in the non-companion events.
Tayler Malsam will drive the No. 56 Toyota Tundra for KBM full-time.
To say that KBM has assembled an all-star cast for its inaugural season might be a bit of an understatement when you consider that Busch, No. 18 crew chief Eric Phillips and KBM director of competition Rick Ren combined to win 16 of the 25 Camping World Truck Series races in 2009 when they were with other teams. Busch found victory lane seven times as a driver, Phillips was on top of the pit box for three wins with driver Mike Skinner, and Ren served as crew chief for Ron Hornaday’s six victories and his 2009 Camping World Truck Series championship.
The 2009 season also saw Busch, Ickler, Malsam, Ren, Phillips and Dan Stillman, crew chief for the No. 56 Tundra, combine for two championships, 34 wins, 140 top-10 finishes and 23 poles in their respective efforts in NASCAR’s top-three divisions and ARCA competition. In addition to Ren’s Camping World Truck Series championship, Busch won the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series title driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
The season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250 begins at 8 p.m. EST and will be broadcast live on SPEED beginning with a pre-race show at 7:30 p.m.
About Heluva Good!®
Heluva Good!® brand real sour cream dips, cheeses and condiments have held a reputation for quality and taste for more than 75 years. The Heluva Good! name has been as much a promise as a brand name and dates back to 1925, when Perry Messinger, Heluva Good!’s founder, began making wedges of homemade washed curd cheese in a basement in Sodus, NY. Messinger sold a little, but mostly did it as a hobby. Then one day a traveling salesman stopped in and sampled a wedge. Upon tasting it, he declared, “That’s a hell of a good cheese.” At that moment, Messinger knew he had something very special. Today, Heluva Good! is part of the HP Hood LLC family of brands. You can now find Heluva Good! products in dairy cases throughout the Eastern, Southern and Midwest United States and all of Canada. Visit www.HeluvaGood.com for more information.
