The Pizzamaker puts his gold 1971 Camaro Z28 to the test again
against Champion Drag Racer in Charity Challenge Racing Series to
benefit Infinite Hero Foundation
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Papa
John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA), the Official Pizza Partner
of the NHRA, will have two gold cars on the racetrack this weekend at
the 2017 NHRA Gatornationals. "Papa John," the Founder, Chairman and CEO
of Papa John's Pizza and Leah, winner of two NHRA Top Fuel titles this
year in her Papa John's Pizza Top Fuel dragster, will renew their
on-track rivalry for charity on Saturday (March 18) during the NHRA
Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. Last year during the U.S.Nationals, Leah edged past "Papa John" in the inaugural
Charity Challenge race and the winner earned the right to select her
favorite charity. Leah picked Riley Children's Foundation who received a
$20,000 donation.
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"Papa John," the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Papa John's Pizza, and Leah Pritchett, winner of two NHRA Top Fuel titles this year in her Papa John's Pizza Top Fuel dragster, will renew their on-track rivalry for charity on Saturday (March 18) during the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo: Business Wire)
This year, "Papa John" and Leah will once again face off in a series of
races for charity - the Charity Challenge Series. "Papa John" and Don
Schumacher, owner of Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), each will contribute
$10,000 ($20,000 total) to the Infinite Hero Foundation (InfiniteHero.org)
at each Charity Challenge Series race. Current races include Gainesville
(March 18), Charlotte (April 29), and Indianapolis during the U.S.Nationals over Labor Day Weekend. Other venues and locations will be
announced throughout the season.
"We are always looking for ways to give back to local communities and
throughout the 2017 NHRA Season we will be focused on supporting and
raising awareness for Infinite Hero Foundation," said "Papa John," the
Founder, Chairman and CEO of Papa John's Pizza. "I am proud to work with
Leah, an important member of our pizza family, to help shine a light on
the great work they do to benefit military heroes and their families.
I'm also happy my Z28 Camaro is still able to positively impact even
more lives through the charitable funds it helps raise."
"Papa John" will race his prized 1971 Camaro Z28, the same car he bought
for $1,600 when he was 15 years old from money he made washing dishes at
Rocky's Sub Pub in his hometown of Jeffersonville, Indiana. He
eventually sold it to keep his dad out of bankruptcy and start the very
first Papa John's pizzeria. In 2009, he was reunited with his cherished
Camaro.
Leah will be running a supercharged Gen III HEMI in a 2017 Dodge
Challenger configured for drag racing.
In addition to the contribution to Infinite Hero, bragging rights will
be on the line this Saturday. If Leah wins, "Papa John" will have to wax
her car before the next race; if he wins, she will apply a shiny new
coat of wax to his iconic gold 1971 Camaro Z28. "I want to beat him as
badly as he wants to beat me," said Leah. "He's a pizza maker, and I'm a
racecar driver. I can't let him beat me at my own game. Whoever gets
waxed…has to wax!"
Infinite
Hero™ Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that promotes
awareness and provides resources to help combat the mental and physical
issues that returning military heroes and their families may face, will
receive $20,000 at Gatornationals, funded by Papa John's and Don
Schumacher Racing. Mike Wilson, former U.S. Marine, will accept the
check on behalf of Infinite Hero and present the Charity Challenge
winner with the Pizza Paddle trophy.
"At Infinite Hero, we believe that mental and physical rehabilitation
for our veterans can and must be better. Our heroes deserve it and we
will continue to deliver it with the help of like-minded individuals and
companies like Papa John's," said Colin Baden, Founder and Board
President of the Infinite Hero Foundation. "Infinite Hero looks for the
impossible challenges and drives through to find solutions, across the
nation and at the community level. We are excited to partner with Papa
John's and DSR on the Charity Challenge Series and make a real impact
for veterans."
The Charity Challenge will run on Saturday, March 18 at the NHRA
Gatornationals in between qualifying races. "Papa John's" Chevrolet
Camaro Z28 and Pritchett's Mopar Challenger Drag Pak will be showcased
in the NHRA Midway Display Friday, March 17 - Sunday, March 19. "Papa
John" and Pritchett will be greeting fans and signing autographs at the
display on Saturday, March 18 from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m. Continuing this
weekend, NHRA fans can receive 30 percent off their regular menu priced
Papa John's online orders using code: LEAH30.
About Papa John's
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International,
Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) is the world's third-largest pizza delivery company.
For 15 of the past 17 years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in
customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American
Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's is the Official Pizza
Sponsor of the National Football League and the Official Pizza of Major
League Baseball. For more information about the company or to order
pizza online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com.
Also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PapaJohns,
Twitter at http://twitter.com/PapaJohns, YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/papajohns,
Instagram at instagram.com/papajohns,
Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/papajohnspizza,
and Vine at vine.co/papajohns.
Looking to be a part of something Better? Learn more about franchising
with Papa John's at www.papajohns.com/franchise.
About Don Schumacher Racing
Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered near Indianapolis in Brownsburg,
Ind., includes eight professional NHRA teams in the NHRA Mello Yello
Drag Racing Series. In Top Fuel, Leah Pritchett in the Papa John's
Pizza/FireAde dragster, the U.S. Army dragster driven by eight-time NHRA
Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher, the three-time and reigning
world champion Matco Tools dragster driven by Antron Brown and 2013
world champion Shawn Langdon. In Funny Car, two-time world champion Matt
Hagan in the Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots 2016 Dodge Charger R/T, 2012
NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge,
the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge driven by 2016 world champion Ron Capps and
the Make-A-Wish Dodge driven by Tommy Johnson Jr. DSR has won 297 NHRA
national event titles and 16 world championships. Follow Don Schumacher
Racing at ShoeRacing.com,
on Twitter at @shoeracing
and Facebook.com/shoeracing.
About Infinite Hero Foundation
A 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, Infinite Hero Foundation combats
the most difficult front line issues - mental and physical - facing
returning military heroes and their families. The Foundation funds
programs that drive innovation and the accessibility of effective
treatments for military heroes and their families dealing with
service-related mental and physical injuries. For more information,
visit www.infinitehero.org,
or follow Infinite Hero on Facebook.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170317005281/en/
Papa John's International, Inc.
Peter Collins, 502-261-4233
Senior
Director, Public Relations
peter_collins@papajohns.com
Source: Papa John's International, Inc.
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