Wheaties To Back Burton In 2012

Wheaties will become a co-primary sponsor of Richard Childress Racing's #31 Chevrolet and driver Jeff Burton, beginning in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

The multi-year program will continue General Mills' primary sponsorship with RCR for key races and associate positioning for the balance of each season with the #31 team. The Wheaties brand will replace Cheerios as the focus of the sponsorship. Wheaties has a long history with RCR. Dale Earnhardt was the first NASCAR driver to be featured on a Wheaties box, and he drove an orange, Wheaties-sponsored car in the 1997 All-Star Race. RCR began its current relationship with General Mills in 2008 with the #33 Chevy and driver Clint Bowyer, sponsored by the Cheerios and Hamburger Helper brands. Bowyer will leave RCR at the end of the season to take a new ride with Michael Waltrip Racing.

"With more than a dozen years in NASCAR, General Mills is looking forward to continuing our relationship with Richard Childress Racing," said Patrick Simmons, Vice President of Customer Marketing for General Mills. "At the same time, we're excited about the opportunity to forge a new relationship with Wheaties and Jeff Burton. We value our association with RCR and are thrilled to be part of their organization."

"I'm excited to have a company like General Mills and a brand like Wheaties join our #31 team," said Burton. "Wheaties is one of the most iconic brands in American history, and my kids use so many General Mills products that I'm sure we have a decent market share of the company in our pantry. I also like that they have worked hard to provide so many healthy choices."

Caterpillar will continue as a sponsor of Burton's #31 Chevrolet, as will BB&T.