Who Is That Sitting In The Front Row At The Kentucky Speedway?

LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Kentucky Fried Chicken and the Kentucky Speedway unveiled a life-sized statue of Colonel Sanders, revealing the fried chicken founder as the track's first ever "Seat for Life" recipient.  The seated statue is located in Grandstand Five, the new home to KFC's 750-person sponsored seating section.

"Colonel Sanders served in the US army in Cuba at 16, was a tire salesman by 34, and at 75 became the most recognized man in the World for selling his famous Kentucky Fried Chicken... but the one thing he never did was race a NASCAR race car.  So we are here at the Kentucky Speedway for the Quaker State 400 with Cole Whitt to change that!" said Kevin Hochman, chief marketing officer for KFC U.S.  "Many NASCAR fans know there's nothing better than a bucket of our Original Recipe® Kentucky Fried Chicken while watching the race, and this is our way of saluting them."

The KFC grandstand is easily identified with its section-wide image of Colonel Sanders.  Below the grandstand seating and adjacent to the race track wall, a custom mural designed by local artist Bryan Todd, showcases Kentucky Fried Chicken's signature red and white stripes and slogan, "Finger lickin' good™."

To kick off the Speedway sponsorship, KFC section ticket-holders attending Saturday's Quaker State 400 race will be asked to participate in an interactive card stunt - which will come to life during lap 25 – requiring each fan to simultaneously hold up an assigned card, that when seen from around the track, will create an image of KFC's founder, Harland Sanders. In addition, four lucky KFC section fans will have the chance to receive an upgraded experience – access to the official fan zone and pit crew area for that day's race, in addition to the four remaining races of the Kentucky Speedway season.

To bring the excitement full circle, KFC section fans and the Colonel will be perfectly positioned to watch over the brand's sponsored #35 car, driven by Front Row Motorsport's Cole Whitt during the Quaker State 400. Whitt will pay homage to Sanders during the race by donning a custom-made fire suit modeled after the Colonel's signature all-white suit and black Kentucky string tie. Whitt's car will also be KFC-inspired, featuring red and white stripes that mirror the design of a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Fans can learn more about menu offerings, allergy and calorie information and more at www.KFC.com. To learn more about KFC's famous founder, visit www.ColonelSanders.com.

About KFCKFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain. KFC specializes in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken®, Extra Crispy™ Tenders, KFC Go Cup®, Famous Bowl®, pot pies, freshly made chicken sandwiches, biscuits and home-style side items. There are more than 19,400 KFC outlets in 120 countries and territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM.) For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KFC) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc).

About Front Row Motorsports:Front Row Motorsports is a race-winning organization competing in NASCAR's premier Sprint Cup Series, fielding the No. 34, the No. 35 and the No. 38 Fords. The team is owned by Bob Jenkins and is headquartered just outside of Charlotte, N.C. FRM was named to INC Magazine's "INC 5000" list in 2012, recognizing the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. The team's partnership base is representative of more than $200 billion of the U.S. economy and includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, Love's Travel Stops, Colgate-Palmolive, CSX Transportation, Taco Bell and Long John Silver's. Visit teamfrm.com.

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SOURCE KFC Corporation