Goody's a constant around NASCAR for three decades (cont'd)

"He took one, right there in the press box, right in the middle of a press conference ... which didn't hurt us at all. Back in a staff meeting, I told about the experience we had. We started after Richard, and I guess the story tells itself after that. For 30 years, he's been selling Goody's. He's probably sold a lot more than I ever have."

All these years later, Petty is still a Goody's spokesman ... and user.

"Yesterday, we were at Talladega and I had to take two during the race," Petty said. "You're hot, you're sweating, you're run down and then you're teed off about the way the race is going. So I took two yesterday."

The relationship with the Petty family extends beyond just Richard. Several years ago, when the Victory Junction Gang Camp was nothing more than a set of plans on paper, Kyle and Pattie Petty approached the company. They had lost their son, Adam, to a May 2000 racing accident, but somehow, some way, wanted to make something good come of the unimaginable loss.

"Goody's was the first major sponsor that stepped in and helped us with the Victory Junction Gang," said Richard Petty. "They saw a need for the kids to have it, and an opportunity for them to do something the general public accepted. Being that they were already involved with us all those years anyway, it was just sort of a natural deal. It wasn't a hard sell."

Goody's responded with a $1 million donation, that went to the construction of the facility's hospital.

"We were the first corporate sponsor that Kyle and Pattie came to," Singer said. "There wasn't a shovel put in the ground yet, but Kyle said, 'We need a partner, somebody who is an extension of the Petty family who understands the loss of Adam is something that affected so many people.' To try and transform that tragedy into something positive, they came to family members.

"It was so emotional for me to hear Kyle say, 'You're part of our family and we need you.' I'll never forget it ... on the spot, I said, 'You have our commitment.' And we donated $1 million to the Victory Junction Gang Camp. That was one of those moments that said the relationship we have with the Pettys and the sport was something remarkable."

Having been in the sport for so long, Goody's officials became a part of the fabric in the garage area in both the Cup and Busch Series levels. Busch Series legend Tommy Houston once asked Agee for some Goody's T-shirts, so his crew could have clean clothes.

"We knew the drivers," Agee said. "We knew their wives. We knew them before they got married. We watched them have children. I don't think we made an effort to. It was just a natural thing for us to do. We just made it a big family affair. We had much respect for all of them. We didn't pick out any favorites. We worked with all of them and we tried to be friendly with all of them. Every race, we always kept lots of Goody's on the haulers."

The brand's involvement in the sport has also centered its race sponsorships, having backed races at Daytona, Bristol, Rockingham and Martinsville. The company had its title sponsorship on the Goody's 500 at Martinsville from 1983-2000, before returning this year with a new product title deal in the Goody's Cool Orange 500. To promote the three-year agreement, the speedway's walls were painted orange. (Continued)