Little Debbie Will Return
Wood Brothers Racing and JTG Racing announced today that McKee Foods Little Debbie® Snack Cakes brand will be returning as a primary sponsor in a newly-signed two-year deal. Financial terms were not disclosed. This agreement extends and builds upon a previous two-year relationship with the Collegedale, Tennessee Company. Little Debbie® will serve as the primary sponsor for 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup events in the 2008 season and again in the 2009 season.

Up-and-coming Busch Series superstar Marcos Ambrose will take over as the face of the company’s NASCAR efforts in twelve of the eighteen races, beginning in Sonoma, CA in June, 2008. Additional driver lineups for the remaining six Little Debbie events will be announced at a later date—as will other sponsor/driver combinations for the new year. Ambrose will serve as a pitchman for all of the company’s snack cake brands, appearing in all point of sale (POS) materials and related items.

Ambrose debuted in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the 2006 season and was summarily promoted into the NASCAR Busch Series in 2007, driving full time for the No. 59 entry. Prior to coming to the United States, Ambrose was a two-time Australian V-8 Supercar Series Champion in 2003-2004, while leading a resurgence of the Ford Motor Company brand in his home country.

According to Chris McKee, Vice-President of Sales & Marketing of McKee Foods, the relationship has produced both exciting and measurable results. “At McKee Foods, we’ve seen over the last two seasons that sponsoring a Nextel Cup car works for our brand and our customers. We look forward to working with Marcos Ambrose as he takes over the wheel of the Little Debbie car.”

Since McKee Foods and their Little Debbie® brand joined the NASCAR ranks as a team sponsor, the company has rolled out over 120 national and regional sales programs related to their participation with the Wood Brothers Racing and JTG Racing.

“It’s a great day for the Wood Brothers Racing and JTG Racing as a whole,” said Marcos Ambrose. “Any time you can continue to market a successful relationship going forward, we’re doing something beneficial. For me to have a part in all of this in 2008 and realize my goal to get to the top level of North American Motorsports is nothing short of a dream come true. 2008 will be my third straight year of competition and I’ve been fortunate enough to get the promotions to the top level. I want nothing more than to make their relationship with us stronger, both on the race track with our results and in the stores with their increased sales. I have no doubt that we’ll continue to elevate their stature in the partnership game that is NASCAR.”

From a team perspective, it was welcome news for the Wood Brothers’ organization, one of the longest running teams in the sport and whose third-generation family run business matched well with the McKee’s families’ third-generation run organization as well.

“We’re very proud that we’ve been able to not only resign McKee Food’s Little Debbie brand on our No. 21 car, but that this represents the first multi-year deal of the relationship with these fine folks,” said team owner Eddie Wood. “We believe that our family values background matches very well with theirs and we approach our goals for success in a similar fashion. It now falls on our shoulders to put the best effort going forward to represent one of the most famous brand names in America today. And we intend to do it to the utmost of our abilities,” he added.

Ragan Wins Busch Rookie Title
David Ragan is the 2007 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Busch Series. Ragan edged Marcos Ambrose by 27 points (272-245) for the honor. Ragan finished the season with two poles, four top-five and nine top-10 finishes. His best finish of the season was a third-place effort in the Sam’s Town 250 at Memphis (Millington, Tenn.) Motorsports Park (race no. 32). Ragan was fifth in the Busch Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie.

Allen Wins Rookie of the Year
Nashville native Willie Allen can now add his name to the history books of NASCAR. Allen, driver of the #13 National Pork Board/Nashville Music City Chevy Silverado edged drivers Joey Clanton and Tim Sauter to become the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year. Allen was presented with the prestigious honor in front of NASCAR's finest on Monday night at the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series banquet in Hollywood, Florida. For Allen, the trophy represents a season of hard work, perseverance and achievement of a year long goal.

"I'm very proud to be named the Raybestos Rookie of the Year," said Allen. "My team and I set this goal at the beginning of the year. For us to pull together and accomplish that goal I think says a lot about us as a team. We had some misfortune this year, but when the chips were down, my team really came through for me. I also can't praise Joey Clanton and Tim Sauter enough. Those guys gave me a great battle this year and it was an honor to race against them each week."

Allen's season was highlighted by a spectacular 6th place run at Talladega Superspeedway. The finish matched Allen's career best finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and landed him at the top of the Rookie of the Year standings, a spot that he would retain for the remainder of the season. Allen is able to put a checkmark next to his goal for the 2007 season and is already looking ahead to improve next year.

"Talladega was definitely one of the highpoints for me and ThorSport Racing this year. We had some really good runs this year that unfortunately doesn't show on paper because of some mechanical issues we had. We finished 15th in the overall points standings and I feel like that is a respectable finish for my rookie year. Next year I would like to finish Top 10 in points. Of course, Top 5 would be even better. We need to stay competitive and hopefully challenge for some wins next season. Hopefully we can learn a lot over winter testing and put ourselves in that top position next year."

It's been a long hard road for Allen. From Go-Karts to Late Models and finally to the big leagues of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Through it all, Allen knows that he could have never done it alone.