Checkers/Rally's to sponsor No. 28 NBS car

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Checkers/Rally's, the Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR, has entered into an agreement with Jay Robinson Racing to be the team's primary sponsor in 11 Busch Series races in 2007.

The first race of the sponsorship will be the Orbitz 300 season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 17.

Driving the No. 28 Checkers/Rally's Chevrolet in the 11 races will be a rotation of three drivers -- former Busch Series champion Jeff Green, Johnny Sauter and rookie Robert Richardson Jr. Green and Sauter also compete on a full-time basis in the Nextel Cup Series for Haas CNC Racing.

Richardson, 24, will pilot the Checkers/Rally's Chevy in the Daytona Busch opener.

"We are thrilled to have established a partnership with Jay Robinson Racing and the Busch Series," said Richard S. Turer, senior vice president of marketing at Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc. "The 11-race primary sponsorship is one more way of activating our highly successful NASCAR alliance, which has created tremendous national branding for Checkers/Rally's since the company became an official sponsor of the sport in 2005."

"In addition, with ESPN's renewed commitment to NASCAR beginning in 2007 with their exclusive broadcast rights to the Busch Series, Checkers/Rally's will have tremendous visibility throughout the year to complement our already strong position in the sport."

"We're really excited to have the Checkers/Rally's brand on the No. 28 Chevrolet," team owner Jay Robinson said. "Checkers/Rally's is a great brand with great people and great food. We believe this program will be a tremendous success for the Checkers Chevrolet, the Checkers/Rally's brands, their franchisees and the millions of loyal customers across the country."

Along with the Daytona opener, the Checkers/Rally's primary sponsorship schedule for the No. 28 Chevy includes:

• Atlanta (March 17)
• Bristol (March 24)
• Talladega (April 28)
• Richmond (May 4)
• Kentucky (June 16)
• Daytona (July 6)
• St. Louis (July 21)
• Bristol (Aug. 24)
• Memphis (Oct. 27)
• Homestead-Miami (Nov. 17)