Pizza Hut to Feature Hendrick Drivers in New Ad

DALLAS (April 22, 2005) – What do cooking dinner and stopping mid-race have in common? Both can be the pits. But not for long. Today Pizza Hut announces its first-ever NASCAR team sponsorship, encompassing five NASCAR races this season. In support of the sponsorship, Pizza Hut has a new commercial starring Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte and Brian Vickers. The spot features the Family Race Pack promotion, which allows fans to watch the race and have a complete meal without missing a lap. In typical Pizza Hut tongue-in-cheek humor, the commercial light-heartedly shows a Mom causing the entire NASCAR race to come to a screeching halt as she leaves her family that is watching the race on TV, to make dinner. The commercial humorously highlights Mom’s power over the race track at dinnertime as the NASCAR drivers are forced to stop racing when Mom leaves the room. When Mom returns with the Pizza Hut Family Race Pack, the drivers pop back in their cars and peel out in the hilarious ending. The spot, created by New York-based BBDO, will begin airing nationally on Sunday, May 1. As debuted in the commercial, Pizza Hut is offering the essential racing ‘gear’ so families can get a complete meal from start to finish. The new Family Race Pack promotion includes a large one-topping pizza, bread sticks, cinnamon sticks, a two liter of Pepsi® and napkins, plates and cups so no cooking or cleaning up is necessary. The Family Race Pack promotion is offered nationally at participating Pizza Hut restaurants for dine-in, carryout or delivery (where available) for $16.99. Pizza Hut is supporting the national introduction of the Family Race Pack promotion with an estimated $12 million marketing plan including national network and cable television advertising, radio, direct mail, online initiatives and in-restaurant point of purchase materials. Those hungry for more information can go to the official Pizza Hut web site at www.pizzahut.com