Big Mistake For Budweiser, They Shoulc have Stayed With Dale Jr.

BUDWEISER TAPS KASEY KAHNE AS NEXT DRIVER OF ITS LEGENDARY RACE CAR

Today, Budweiser announced Gillett Evernham Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne will become the next world-class racer to take the wheel of the iconic red Budweiser car when the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season kicks off in February. Kahne adds his name to the Budweiser Racing legacy forged in NASCAR by popular drivers like Terry Labonte, Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Kahne was NASCAR's Rookie of the Year in 2004 and picked up his first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series victory in 2005. In 2006 he won six races and six Budweiser Pole Awards – more wins and poles than any other driver – and qualified for the Chase for the Nextel Cup in just his third year in NASCAR's premiere series.

Budweiser first sponsored a team on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series circuit in 1983, and in 1998, Budweser became the "Official Beer of NASCAR," cementing the brand's place among stock car racing's elite sponsors. Budweiser is also the sponsor of the Bud Pole Award in all NASCAR divisions, the title sponsor of the annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, the exclusive beer and malt beverage advertiser of the Daytona 500, and the "Official Beer Sponsor" of Daytona International Speedway, the Daytona 500 and the Pepsi 400.

Gillett Evernham Motorsports is a leading team in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series. Founded by CEO Ray Evernham in 1999, the team is in its seventh season of competition at the highest level of NASCAR racing with drivers Kasey Kahne in the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger, Scott Riggs in the No. 10 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Charger, and Elliott Sadler in the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.