JR Motorsports adds Bires for Homestead debut

Bires to Make JR Motorsports Debut in No. 5 Chevrolet at Homestead
Ragu® Announces Increased Involvement with Primary Sponsorship

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 17, 2009) - JR Motorsports announced today that Kelly Bires will make his team debut driving the No. 5 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 21 with primary sponsorship from Ragu®.

Ragu® has been a season-long partner with JRM, but this marks its first primary paint scheme with the team. Ragu® joins Hellmann's®, Klondike®, Lipton® and Degree® V12 as brands under the Unilever umbrella with primary schemes in 2009.

"We wanted to get Kelly in one of our cars before the season was out," said team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. "Ragu® has been with us since the beginning of the year, and I appreciate them stepping up their involvement and helping us put this deal together. It's important that Kelly hit the ground running at Daytona next year, and this certainly helps."

JR Motorsports' principal involvement with Ragu® has been through packaging and point-of-sale displays. For 2010, Ragu® has plans with Earnhardt Jr. to utilize NASCAR's six-time most popular driver on Ragu® packaging, through promotions, and in continued point-of-sale displays.

"This is going to be a great opportunity," said Bires, whose best finish at Homestead was a ninth-place showing in 2008. "I'm thrilled. I was really hoping to race a JRM Chevrolet before the year was out. Thanks to our partners at Ragu®, we've made it a reality. I think this will go a long way in our preparation for 2010."

In September, JR Motorsports announced it had signed Bires to race for the team in 2010-11. Bires has 67 career starts in the Nationwide Series with three top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. In his first full year in the Nationwide Series, he finished 13th in the point standings.

Bires joins Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Scott Wimmer and Richard Boswell as drivers to pilot the No. 5 in 2009. With the addition of Homestead to the No. 5 Ragu® team's schedule, it brings the team's total races to 23 this season.

In preparation for the race weekend, Tony Eury Jr. has been announced as the crew chief for the No. 5 Ragu® Chevrolet.

ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:
JR Motorsports is the management company and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR's six-time Most Popular Driver and winner of more than 40 NASCAR-sanctioned races. JR Motorsports competes in multiple racing divisions, including the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In 2008, JRM enjoyed a breakout season with four Nationwide Series victories between its two teams. The JR Motorsports facilities are based out of Mooresville, N.C., and include the JR Nation retail store, Hammerhead Entertainment, and DEJ Realty. For more information on JR Motorsports, visit www.dalejr.com.

-credit: jrm