Hardee's Gets On Track With Roush Racing

6 November 1998
Hardee's Gets On Track With Roush Racing
    ROCKY MOUNT, N.C., Nov. 6 -- Hardee's Food Systems, Inc. is
ready to add another chapter to its storied association with the popular sport
of stock car racing.  The restaurant company announced today that it had
teamed with Roush Racing to promote nine NASCAR race vehicles and seven
drivers, beginning with the 1999 season.  The partnership gives Hardee's the
opportunity to feature the drivers in a variety of marketing programs;
including advertising, promotion, merchandising and packaging.
    "Both Hardee's and stock car racing grew from rural southern roots to
become a strong national presence, and we make an excellent team," said Rory
Murphy, Hardee's president and chief operating officer.  "Many Hardee's
customers are loyal race fans, and have told us that our involvement in racing
is important to them.  This partnership is an excellent opportunity for us to
share their interest and to bring the race experience home to our restaurants.
We plan to have a lot of fun with it."
    Hardee's new team of drivers, courtesy of Roush Racing, includes: Mark
Martin, Jeff Burton, Johnny Benson, Chad Little, Kevin LePage, Greg Biffle and
Joe Ruttman.  Martin has clinched second place in the 1998 Winston Cup Points
Championship, which marked his tenth consecutive overall finish in the top
six.
    Murphy said these drivers were a welcome addition to Hardee's racing
heritage, which included associations during the past 20 years with Bobby
Allison, Cale Yarborough, Dale Jarrett, Ward Burton, and the late Alan
Kulwicki.  Hardee's promotions during that time included an advertising
campaign featuring a fictitious driver called the "Roadrunner" in 1979, and a
promotion of a fictitious Hardee's race car for the Paramount film "Days of
Thunder" in 1990.
    "We're excited about teaming up with Hardee's," said Geoff Smith,
president of Roush Racing.  "Hardee's has nearly 20 years' experience with the
sport and has demonstrated time and again the ability to bring the excitement
of racing to the fans."
    Also in 1999, Hardee's will continue its sponsorship of the Hardee's 250
at Richmond International Raceway, an association that dates back to 1992.
    Hardee's Food Systems, Inc., a North Carolina corporation with its
headquarters in Rocky Mount, NC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE
Restaurants, Inc. , a Delaware corporation based in Anaheim, Calif.
CKE Restaurants, Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange as
CKR.  Hardee's owns and operates a system of approximately 2,900 company and
franchised quick-service restaurants in the US and 11 other countries.