Lester featured on boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios

ATLANTA -- For most of his life, Bill Lester, driver of the No. 8 Dodge Dealers Dodge Ram in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, has generally been more interested in what is inside boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios.

But now, his picture will appear on the outside of the popular breakfast cereal package.

Honey Nut Cheerios, a long-time NASCAR auto racing sponsor, today unveiled new packaging that will feature Lester, the first African-American NASCAR driver and first driver from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to appear on his own cereal package. The special-edition 14-ounce Honey Nut Cheerios packages will hit grocery store shelves, primarily in the southeastern United States, in the next two weeks.

"This is a thrill for me," said Lester, one of the top names in the popular national series, which has 25 races during the NASCAR season. "I ate Honey Nut Cheerios cereal as a kid and I still eat it today. To think that my picture will be on the box is a pretty awesome thought."

Honey Nut Cheerios and Lester had announced an endorsement partnership in March.

"Bill Lester's popularity among fans of all ages is very evident. All you need to do is watch the fan reaction in the grandstands," said Laurie Greeno, vice president of Motorsports for General Mills. "Coupled with the long-time popularity of Honey Nut Cheerios, we feel this is a tremendous opportunity for all of us."

Lester, who was born in Washington, D.C., received a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and became an award-winning Research and Development Project Manager at Hewlett-Packard. He made a nearly lifelong dream come true when he was selected to drive Dodge's Diversity Program truck for Bobby Hamilton Racing at the end of the 2001 season. He ran his first full season in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series last year, finishing 17th in the final points standings. Through the first 11 races of this season, Lester is 13th in the standings and well within range of the top 10. He posted a 10th place finish at the O'Reilly 250 at the Kansas Speedway on July 5, making him the first African-American driver to place in the top 10 in a national NASCAR tour race since 1971.

Lester, the only African-American driver in any of NASCAR's premier national touring series, has been instrumental in helping promote diversity throughout the motor sports industry. Partnering with Honey Nut Cheerios will extend the reach of his pioneering efforts into the homes of millions of Americans and continue to bring the sport to new fans. According to recent independent polls, NASCAR's fan base continues to grow more diverse. For example, African-American fans have increased 18 percent--approximately 2 million people--since 1995.

Honey Nut Cheerios, with its natural whole-grain oats and sweet taste of honey, is a favorite of millions of people and one of America's most popular breakfast cereals. Honey Nut Cheerios is also a heart-healthy cereal that tastes great and can help lower cholesterol. The cereal contains soluble fiber, important in lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk for heart disease.

The 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, now in its ninth season, provides fans with exciting fender-to-fender action in race trucks based on popular half-ton short-bed pickup trucks from Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford. The series features a total of 25 events with stops scheduled at 17 superspeedways (oval tracks of one mile or more in length) and 8 short tracks (oval tracks of less than one mile in length). The Series has more than $11 million in awards. All 25 races are broadcast live on SPEED Channel.