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Danica
Patrick, Leilani Munter and Melanie Troxel to
Become Hostess® 'Race Divas'
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Nov. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Three
of professional racing's leading women drivers
-- Danica Patrick (IRL), Leilani Munter (NASCAR)
and Melanie Troxel (NHRA) -- have signed on to
become Hostess(R) "Race Divas" under a new
sponsorship agreement with the brand famous for
many of America's all-time favorite snack cakes.
The racing sponsorship program will involve
Hostess® Twinkies®,
Cup Cakes and Donettes®
and feature a range of promotional activities,
including special limited edition packaging and
displays, which will debut next year with photos
of the three drivers.
"Interest in women in professional racing
continues to grow, with Danica, Leilani and
Melanie serving as excellent ambassadors for the
sport," said Kevin Kaul, Hostess marketing
manager. "We are pleased to sponsor these
outstanding drivers as they pursue their dreams
and inspire an even more diverse fan base, and,
at the same time, leverage the opportunity to
connect the iconic Hostess brand with the
enthusiasm surrounding racing and women's
increasing prominence in the sport.
"
"Having grown up with Twinkies and Cup Cakes, I
am thrilled to have Hostess as a sponsor and to
be part of the Hostess Race Divas program," said
Ms. Patrick. "It's an exciting opportunity to
bring together America's favorite brand of snack
cakes with the country's favorite spectator
sport."
As the 2005 IRL Indy Car Series Rookie of the
Year, Danica Patrick has emerged as an
international superstar of racing, further
increasing the popularity of one of the hottest
professional sports around. In addition to her
impressive 4th place finish at this year's
Indianapolis 500, Danica had 5 other top ten
race finishes in 2005 including a 6th place
finish in the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300.
She also won the pole starting position at 3
races during the 2005 season, tying a record for
most poles won in a single season. Her
impressive record also includes a 3rd place
finish in the 2004 Toyota
Atlantic Championship -- the highest finish by a
female driver in series history -- a 2nd place
finish at the 2003 Formula Ford Festival in
England -- the highest finish ever by an
American driver -- and a win at the 2002 Long
Beach Grand Prix Pro/Celebrity event.
She was born in Beloit, Wisconsin. Leilani
Munter, who has signed to race for Konica
Minolta in the NASCAR Elite Division for the
2006 season, qualified 4th and finished 7th at
the Texas Motor Speedway in her first super late
model race in 2004. She made her debut in 2003
at the South Boston Speedway, where she placed
9th.
In addition to racing in the NASCAR Elite
Division, she is a race instructor at Fast Track
High Performance Driving School and a special
correspondent for NASCAR.com. Born in Rochester,
Minnesota, Leilani once worked as a photo double
for actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Melanie Troxel is a two-time NHRA champion and a
record holder in the Alcohol Dragster class, in
which she placed 2nd for the championship. Most
recently, she was the runner up in the 2005 NHRA
Finals in Pamona, California. She also has
earned the distinction as the fastest female
racer in NHRA history at over 330 MPH. In 2000,
Melanie received the NHRA Road to the Future
Award and was the Top Fuel runner up at the NHRA
O'Reilly Fall Nationals in Dallas. Having spent
a lifetime around the racetrack, the Littleton,
Colorado native is the daughter of the late
veteran drag racer Mike Troxel.
The maker of Hostess®
products, Interstate Bakeries
Corporation, is one of the nation's largest
wholesale bakers and distributors of fresh baked
bread and sweet goods under various brand names
including Wonder® ,
Dolly Madison®, Baker's
Inn®, Home Pride®,
Merita® and Drake's®
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