In conjunction with the 56th running of the Daytona 500 and to further showcase its long-standing partnership with NASCAR, General Mills has teamed up with The Kroger Co. to produce a limited-edition Cheerios box to commemorate the return of the No. 3 to NASCAR’s premier series with NASCAR champion Austin Dillon at the wheel.
Beginning this week, shoppers will be able to purchase the collectible Cheerios box, which required rare brand approval to replace the traditional red heart with the iconic No. 3, exclusively at the 1,200 The Kroger Co. Family of Stores nationwide.
“As a proud supporter of NASCAR, Kroger is thrilled to partner with General Mills to share in the excitement of the return of the No. 3 to the sport with fans and consumers nationwide,” said Keith Dailey, director of corporate communications at Kroger. “The Daytona 500 is always a very exciting race and we’re looking forward to cheering Austin and the No. 3 on the track.”
Consumers will see branded billboards near Daytona International Speedway and in Kroger’s hometown of Cincinnati, featuring Dillon, his No. 3 Chevrolet and the celebratory Cheerios box while shoppers will notice Austin Dillon standees and No. 3 branded pallet holders featuring General Mills products on display in Kroger stores.
A branded television commercial featuring Dillon and the No. 3 Cheerios Chevrolet will air in various markets, including Atlanta, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Louisville, Nashville, Indianapolis, Memphis, Richmond, Knoxville, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Lexington, Ky.
Dillon, who captured the pole for the 2014 Daytona 500, visited Kroger’s headquarters and its West Chester, Ohio, store last month and revealed an over-sized version of the special Cheerios box to employees and fans. He will embark on his first full NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season when he leads the 43-car field to the green flag in the 56th annual Daytona 500 driving the No. 3 Chevrolet.
While NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt’s legion of loyal fans continue to associate the No. 3 with the late driver, it still belonged to Richard Childress (Richard Childress Racing and grandfather to 23-year-old Dillon), who carefully maintained its sanctity by not running it since Earnhardt’s death at the 2001 Daytona 500, according to a Boston Globe report. But Dillon seemed to put his own stamp on it by putting it back atop the scoring pylon at Daytona.
“I think it just adds to Dale’s legacy, because that’s what we wanted to do,’’ said Childress, who was the car owner of record for six of Earnhardt’s seven NASCAR titles, the last coming in 1994. “But Austin wants to build his own legacy now. He has an opportunity to go out and see what he can do in it.’’
Childress told the Globe the decision to bring back the No. 3 was “emotional.”
“It wasn’t something we took for granted,’’ he said. “It had to be the right person at the right time and he’s run [the] 3 since he was that big.”
“He’s won championships, a lot of races in dirt and Legends—everything he’s ever driven in, he’s won it,’’ Childress said of his grandson.
