Papa John's campaign spotlights her 11,000-horsepower, gold Papa
John's dragster, a salute to Papa John's own symbol of sacrifice (his
iconic Camaro Z28)
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Last year Leah Pritchett lost her dragster when her team owner retired.
Through a relentless persistence to remain in the top 10 of points
earners, she found a way to continue to compete and caught the eye of
Papa John's.
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The new Papa John's Pizza ad features the underdog story of dragster driver Leah Pritchett. The TV spot is accompanied by a new national pizza box featuring Pritchett and her gold Papa John's dragster alongside Papa John and his prized 1971 Camaro Z28. (Photo: Business Wire)
"When I met Leah I admired her hard work and determination from the get
go. She had some burn marks on her forearms from working on the clutch
of her Top Fuel dragster," said Papa John, Founder, Chairman and CEO of
Papa John's Pizza. "Back when I started making pizzas, I had oven burns
on my arms all the time. We did what we had to do to get by because we
were doing something we loved. Leah was devoted to pursuing her dream
like I was."
"And we both share an unrelenting drive to always get better," added
Papa John.
That passion to pursue her dream resulted in Papa John's sponsoring Leah
and her racing team, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR). Leah's determination
and grit has culminated in a new television spot, which will begin
airing Monday, June 26. In the spot, Leah shares the story of how her
pursuit for better on the track parallels Papa John's own belief in a
better pizza. The commercial will run on cable sports and entertainment
outlets including ESPN, MLB Network, TBS and others.
The TV spot is accompanied by a new national pizza box featuring
Pritchett and her gold Papa John's dragster alongside Papa John and his
prized 1971 Camaro Z28. His iconic gold Camaro is the same car he bought
at 15 years old, and then sold to both keep his dad's tavern out of
bankruptcy and start the very first Papa John's pizzeria. In 2009, he
was reunited with his cherished Camaro and fit it for racing.
Since partnering up with Papa John's, Pritchett hasn't taken her foot
off the gas. She won three races this season, including Phoenix, Pomona,
and Houston, and holds the current NHRA Top Fuel world record at 3.658
seconds, which is the quickest run in history. She currently sits in
second in the standings.
"It's been a wild ride this season with Papa John's on board as my
primary sponsor, a sponsor of DSR and as the Official Pizza Partner of
NHRA," said Leah. "It is an honor to be able to represent this sport and
Papa John's on a national scale and to be featured as the first NHRA
driver on a national pizza box."
As part of Papa John's sponsorship, Papa John and Leah have teamed up to
create the Charity
Challenge Series throughout the NHRA season, in which Papa John
races his gold 1971 Camaro Z28 down the drag strip against Leah in a
Dodge Challenger. The series has raised $40,000 so far this season for
the 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. The
next Challenge race will be July 8 at the Fallen Patriots at Route 66
Raceway in Joliet, Illinois.
Accompanying the new television spot is a limited time offer of Papa
John's Double XL pizza, which features 10 big slices topped with
extra-large Italian sausage and deli style pepperoni, then another layer
of traditional Italian sausage piled on sixteen inches of hand-tossed
crust with cheese made from mozzarella. Papa's Double XL pizza is
available June 26 through July 23 for only $12. Double the fun and try
Papa John's bigger chicken poppers, which includes ten pieces and a
choice of dipping sauce for $6. Order online at www.papajohns.com,
through Papa John's mobile ordering app for iPhone and Android devices,
or through the Apple TV.
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
16 of the past 18 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, the Official Pizza of Major
League Baseball and the Official Pizza Partner of the National Hot Rod
Association (NHRA). 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 www.instagram.com/papajohns,
and Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/papajohnspizza.
Looking to be a part of something Better? Join the Papa John's Pizza
Family at www.papajohns.com/careers/
and www.papajohns.com/franchise
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170626005377/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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