CORNELIUS, N.C. (July 26, 2011) – On Friday, August 19 at the Budweiser Acceleration Club at Michigan International Speedway, the VFW Foundation will hold its first-ever “Fight Night for the Troops” event benefiting its Return the Favor campaign, which supports the military assistance programs of the VFW. The event will feature live amateur boxing sanctioned by USA Boxing, Inc. and organized by Bob Kerr Boxing Club. It will be hosted by Former Heavyweight Champion of the World, Larry Holmes.

The inaugural event was created as an alternative event to traditional fundraising efforts and is also being used as a networking event for the NASCAR community as well as for local businesses. It is also serving as a platform to increase recognition of the VFW Foundation’s year-old awareness and fundraising campaign, Return the Favor.

“Without the support of great corporate partners we would not be able to provide the assistance that we do for today’s military, veterans, and their families. The programs supported by Return the Favor support
the entire military community and we are excited for this tremendous event to continue to raise awareness and support,” says Dustin Kuhn, manager of corporate relations for the VFW Foundation.

“Return the Favor supports programs and services that provide financial assistance for military families, free phone calls for service members overseas, special events to help boost the morale of our troops and their families and much more. I truly feel we have comprehensive military support programs. We’re excited about ‘Fight Night for the Troops’ and look forward to more events like this to help raise awareness and funding for Return the Favor.”

The VFW Foundation plans to take the model from this first event and replicate it across the country in 2012.

In addition to the main event, ‘Fight Night for the Troops’ will also include a cocktail hour and dinner, as well as a silent auction. Doors open at 6:00 pm. For more information on the event and to reserve your
table, please visit http://www.hmsworldwide.com/vfw-foundation-fight-night-for-the-troops-invitation/.

About VFW Foundation

The VFW Foundation is the official charity of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), America’s oldest and largest service group for combat veterans. Return the Favor is an awareness and fundraising campaign to honor, celebrate, and support active-duty military members, veterans, and their families. Our mission is to support programs and services that provide financial assistance for military families, free phone calls for service members overseas, VIP treatment for troops and their families at entertainment events, and morale boosting events for military units. These programs and services are non-political and provided at no cost to the recipients. The VFW Foundation is one of the nation’s highest rated 501 (c) (3) non-profit organizations. For more information, please visit www.returnthefavor.org.

About HMS Worldwide

Founded in 2003 by Todd Hirschfeld, HMS Worldwide is a sports and event lifestyle marketing agency, representing clients in the sports marketing industry. With experience on the team, sponsor, property, and agency sides of the business, HMS Worldwide offers a fully integrated approach, utilizing sports marketing as a platform to build a company’s business.

For more information on HMS Worldwide, please visit www.hmsworldwide.com.

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Fans will receive one grandstand seat for the VFW 200 Camping World Truck Series race, admission to a private pre-race hospitality tent and a guided pit tour for $65 per person. Ten dollars of the ticket package price will go to the VFW Foundation and its Return the Favor charitable initiative. Click on the link above for more information and to reserve your tickets today!

June 17, 2011 (Brooklyn, MI) – In honor of those who serve our country during this Father’s Day weekend, Heluva Good!®, the title sponsor of the “Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race, will present the VFW Foundation with a $10,000 donation during Sunday’s pre-race ceremonies in support of the Salute to Military Fathers Program.

Salute to Military Fathers is an extension of the VFW Foundation’s Return the Favor campaign, an awareness and fundraising campaign to honor, celebrate and support active-duty military members, veterans and their families. More than 300 military guests will be in attendance at Sunday’s race thanks to this program.

The check will presented by Miss Sprint Cup Monica Palumbo, and Scott Blake, Sr. Vice President of Operations for Heluva Good!, to VFW Foundation’s Dustin Kuhn, Manager of Corporate Relations, and David Prohaska, Deputy Director, prior to the start of the “Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400.”

“Heluva Good! is proud to support military fathers and their families through the Salute to Military Fathers program,” said Scott Blake, Sr. Vice President of Operations, Heluva Good!. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to honor those who serve our country during this Father’s Day weekend, and we’re looking forward to a Heluva Good! race.”

Heluva Good!, based is Sodus, NY, is returning for the second year as the title sponsor for the June NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. As the “Official Dip of Michigan International Speedway,” Heluva Good! distributed samples of its new Limited Edition Buffalo Wing Dip to fans throughout race weekend in the Fan Zone.

For more information about the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 and the Salute to Military Fathers program, visit www.HeluvaGood.com or www.ReturntheFavor.org.

About Heluva Good!
Heluva Good!® brand real sour cream dips, cheeses and condiments have held a reputation for quality and taste for more than 75 years. The Heluva Good! name has been as much a promise as a brand name and dates back to 1925, when Perry Messinger, Heluva Good!’s founder, began making wedges of homemade washed curd cheese in a basement in Sodus, NY. Messinger sold a little, but mostly did it as a hobby. Then one day a traveling salesman stopped in and sampled a wedge. Upon tasting it, he declared, “That’s a hell of a good cheese.” At that moment, Messinger knew he had something very special. Today, Heluva Good! is part of the HP Hood LLC family of brands. You can now find Heluva Good! products in dairy cases throughout the Eastern, Midwest and Southern United States and all of Canada. For more information, visit www.HeluvaGood.com.

By Saturday, the garage was still buzzing about Räikkönen’s presence in NASCAR and all were waiting to see how he would qualify in a Nationwide Series race car. Räikkönen posted a qualifying lap time of 28.896 seconds at 180.626 mph, which placed the No. 87 Perky Jerky Toyota Camry in the 22nd starting position.

Almost immediately after the green flag waved, Räikkönen remarked that the car was “way too tight” and very difficult to turn. Spotter Mike Swaim suggested he try a different line but the car remained tight. However, even with the difficult handling, Räikkönen managed to make it to the 18th position by Lap 10.

Thankfully, on Lap 25, a competition caution was scheduled so the No. 87 Perky Jerky team could make some adjustments to the car. KBM general manager and race day crew chief Rick Ren called for gas and chassis and air pressure adjustments to the Toyota Camry. With the No. 87 pit stall partially blocked because of the No. 62 car, the crew still successfully managed all adjustments and got Räikkönen back on track in the 21st position.

Räikkönen had been complaining that his feet and legs were burning inside the car. His suggested solution? “I may try putting my feet out the window.” To note, prior to the start of the race, Räikkönen had decided not to wear his insulated heel boots because he felt he would not need them. Although this decision did not cause any issue with his on-track performance, it did cause him quite a bit of additional discomfort, which leads this to become Unfortunate Event #1.

Soon after the restart on Lap 31, a caution came out on Lap 34, something that had greatly frustrated Räikkönen in last week’s truck race. Räikkönen commented that the car was now “quite loose.” Ren advised him that the car would “get better as (it) burned off fuel and air pressure.” The No. 87 team decided to stay out and, at the restart on Lap 38, Räikkönen was shown in the 22nd position.

Kimi remained quiet for the next 30 laps as he focused on gaining track position and by the time the third caution came out on Lap 73 for a blown engine on the No. 41 of Jeffrey Earnhardt, he was running in the 20th position.

Räikkönen mentioned again that his feet were burning and that he was trying to keep them off the floor. Crew chief Ren asked him if he wanted to try to put on the insulated heel boots that would possibly provided him some relief but he decided it would be too difficult to try and put them on during the pit stop without losing track position. Ren called for four tires, two cans of fuel and instructed the Perky Jerky crew to “loosen it up” after Räikkönen mentioned the car was now “too tight.” At the restart on Lap 78, Räikkönen was 21st.

Another quick caution came out on Lap 82 for yet another blown engine. This time it was the No. 81 of Blake Koch. Räikkönen said that the car was driving better and Ren mentioned that because of the adjustments made the car would possibly get tight again but at least they were headed in the right direction as to what changes to make. The Perky Jerky Toyota stayed out and restarted the race in the 15th position on Lap 91.

Unfortunate Event #2 occurred when Räikkönen began having trouble hearing Ren over the radio. Again, this caused no delay or issue with performance but the lack of communication between the two for several laps was discouraging to Kimi. Ren’s radio was soon fixed and all was back to normal.

Once out, Räikkönen again remained quiet over the radio as he worked on track position. After a little planning and strategy by Ren with a few other teams, the No. 87 team decided to pit on Lap 138, bringing the car in for two tires, fuel, a windshield tear-off and a drink for Räikkönen. Unfortunately, Räikkönen was handed the wrong water bottle (the empty one he had handed over to the crew), which, with the heat and the discomfort Kimi was experiencing in the car, was Unfortunate Event #3.

After leaving the pit stall and returning to the track, Räikkönen almost immediately complained that the car was “really bad”. Spotter Swaim soon saw that something was stuck under the front of the car, leading to Unfortunate Event #4. On Lap 144, Räikkönen brought the Perky Jerky Toyota in so the crew could remove the mysterious object AND give Kimi a fresh drink bottle. The culprit turned out to be the splitter from the No. 51. Once Räikkönen was back on track, a yellow flag was thrown on Lap 148 for debris, something that the No. 87 team was already aware of. This fifth Unfortunate Event would cause Räikkönen to restart in the 28th position, three laps down.

While under caution, Räikkönen remarked it “doesn’t matter what I do, the car is bad…all the time.” He also couldn’t understand why the car was so hot inside, to which crew chief Ren replied “it’s the first time running this car when it’s so hot, the teams will have to work to adjust the cooling systems.” Ren also let Räikkönen know that he was not alone; other drivers had been complaining about the heat inside the car as well.

Clearly frustrated, Räikkönen fell quiet for the remainder of the race to do everything he could to gain track position. He came on the radio briefly to again say that no matter what he did the car just wasn’t responding.

When the checkered flag dropped, Räikkönen finished in the 27th position, four laps down. Even though it was a disappointing finish for the 2007 Formula 1 champion, he maintained solid track position through all the “Unfortunate Events” of the day, brought the car home in good shape and pocketed great track and competition experience. AND, now that the race was over, Räikkönen was finally able to soothe his burning feet and legs by throwing them into a cooler full of ice as soon as he arrived at his motor coach…relief after a frustrating day.

–Kimi Räikkönen Post-Race Quotes:

What happened that made the race car so hot?
“The floor got really hot under the seat. I don’t know why the car was so hot inside. It was hurting on the heels, but I couldn’t really do anything. Just tried to keep my foot off the floor and just hold them up.”

Did you enjoy racing in the Nationwide Series?
“In the beginning, yes, but the car was getting more and more difficult. It was nice in the beginning and I could overtake on the restart and the car felt really good. It really turned out to be a really bad day with the handling just because I couldn’t get the car to turn and had to almost stop in the corners because it was pushing all the time. The same thing happened in the first and second practice and then we could improve it in the second practice, but somehow something is not right.”

What are your future NASCAR plans?
“My plan was always to do these first two races and then I have to go back to Europe and do some Rallies and then we will see what happens.”

–KBM general manager and race-day crew chief Rick Ren Post-Race Quotes:

Do you think Kimi Räikkönen was struggling with the handling of the car?
“The aero package on these cars is — the front running guys are saying the exact same thing. These things just do not handle very well and like where he’s (Kimi Räikkönen) talking about he feels the front end solid, you’ll hear race car drivers say their tires feel like they’re basketballs. If you look at the air pressure that comes in on those tires, that’s what it is. It’s just a new feel to him. I’m sure he has never raced cars with that much air pressure in the tires. It feels abnormal to him, but it’s part of how these cars react.”

How did Kimi Räikkönen perform on the restarts?
“I was really impressed with his (Kimi Räikkönen) restarts. He did a really good job. One of the other teams got on the spotter because he was pushing him out of the way and he needed to go. When we unloaded for practice Thursday, he was aggressive and attacked the race track where he was very apprehensive the first Truck practice here. I feel like he adapted a lot better. Whether it’s the car or the truck or whether it was because he had run the week before. In practice, he passed some cars low and passed some cars high and I really felt good when we went home Thursday night that he was prepared to come and do this.”

About HMS Worldwide
For more information about HMS Worldwide, please visit www.HMSWorldwide.com.
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Among swarms of media and the occasional Finnish flag, Räikkönen patiently listened to teammate Kyle Busch, KBM general manager Rick Ren and other members of his team as they advised him on the ins and outs of handling a truck on the 1.5-mile quad-oval during practice and qualifying. Räikkönen was careful throughout both morning practice sessions and turned in respectable best lap times of 31.265 and 31.471 seconds. Once qualifying rolled around in the afternoon, Räikkönen was feeling a little more comfortable behind the wheel and qualified the No. 15 in the 31st position.

As the green flag neared, the media continued to swarm and a few more Finnish flags popped up in both the garage area and the stands. It was clear that the big story of the evening would continue to be how Räikkönen would adapt to the NASCAR environment. Räikkönen was admittedly cautious but it was evident he was confident that he had what it takes to make the switch…and do it successfully.

As the race got underway, Räikkönen quickly got a feel for the handling of his Toyota, describing it as “loose on the outside.” By Lap 5, he had scraped the wall just a bit and a Lap 8 caution caused by the No. 30 of Todd Bodine would give the No. 15 Perky Jerky team a chance to check out the damage. However, Räikkönen was happy with the car saying it “felt good” so the team decided that he should stay out. The race restarted on Lap 11 and by Lap 17, he had moved up to the 26th position.

Another caution came out on Lap 19 and Räikkönen was reminded by spotter Mike Swaim to hold his line until crossing the start/finish line. The No. 15 again chose to stay out and by Lap 24, Räikkönen was in the seventh position.
Throughout the race, Räikkönen had questions regarding the different racing format and Swaim and Ren answered questions about things such as the “lucky dog”, when to pit, positioning on restarts and pit strategy. Both were encouraging to Räikkönen throughout the entire race which only fueled his confidence as he continued to maintain strong track position.

Räikkönen remained quiet for the next 20 laps as he settled into the 12th position. By Lap 46, he noted that the truck was a “little bit tight.” Fortunately, the pit window was coming so the crew could make the proper adjustments to the Perky Jerky Toyota. Right before Räikkönen was about to pit, teammate Kyle Busch caused another caution to come out on Lap 52. Räikkönen executed his first pit stop on Lap 53 expertly with the No. 15 crew changing four tires and adding fuel along with a windshield tear-off. No other adjustments were made to the truck and when the race restarted on Lap 58, the “Iceman” was in the 13th position.

After cautions on Laps 61, 68, and 75, it was evident that Räikkönen was frustrated that just as he was getting comfortable with the truck, a caution would interrupt his plan of attack. By the sixth caution on Lap 75, Ren was ready to bring in the truck for four tires and fuel. Because some of the other teams took only two tires or no tires at all, Räikkönen ended up in the 20th position when the race restarted on Lap 81. Ren instructed Räikkönen to try and save fuel by running in third or fourth gear. Ren assured him that they could make it to the end of the race on fuel even though it would be close.

By Lap 84 another caution had come out as the No. 02 continued to have problems on the track. Räikkönen remarked that his truck was a “fast truck if I get the chance to drive it.” It was clear he was looking for a long green flag run in order to show everyone would he could really do behind the wheel of the No. 15 Perky Jerky Toyota.

The race restarted on Lap 88, with Räikkönen in the 14th position. He remained quiet again as he fought to maintain his position on track. The ninth caution of the night on Lap 96 did nothing to interrupt the quiet as Räikkönen continued to concentrate on moving through the field. By Lap 104, Räikkönen complained that the truck was “a little bit too tight” and he ended up hitting the wall “quite hard.” Ren asked Swan to inspect the damage from the spotter’s stand and Swaim reported back that all looked ok. Räikkönen again mentioned being frustrated about the excessive amount of cautions after the record-tying 10th caution came out on Lap 106 after David Starr’s Toyota smacked the wall. The race restarted on Lap 111 with Räikkönen in the 14th position. He came on the radio to say that the truck was still “too tight” but remained quiet and focused as he completed the remaining laps of the NC Education Lottery 200, finishing an impressive 15th.

Kimi Räikkönen on his NASCAR debut:

“The racing was fun. Too many cautions. Every time that I would feel like the car would start to run better then you would have a caution and then it would take the track a long time before the handling comes back. You would rather be more high up, but how it felt this morning, now I was pretty pleased with how it felt in the race. For sure, there is still a lot to learn and improve, but I think when we have another race it will be better.”

KBM General Manager Rick Ren on Räikkönen:

“I was really pleased with his (Kimi Raikkonen) performance during the race. It took about five laps for our truck to start coming in. He would lose quite a few positions in that first five laps. Then as soon as he got the tire temperature up – and I told him as soon as the tire temperature would come up that we would be better off and keep getting better. Actually, if we could have ran a really long green flag run at the end, our truck actually could get better the longer it went. It’s one of those things where we just kind of did some guess work looking at the notes and anticipated on what the track would do at night. I actually felt like I had to treat him like he’s a young guy who had never raced here before. A young guy can drive
a tight race car, but can’t drive a loose one. I tightened her up pretty good to start the race.”
About Kyle Busch Motorsports

NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch added a second career within NASCAR in December 2009 when he announced his Kyle Busch Motorsports team would compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2010. KBM is a leader on and off the track in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, becoming the first team since the series originated in 1995 to capture the owners’ championship in their inaugural season. In October of 2010, the team moved into a brand new 77,000-square-foot facility in Mooresville, N.C., which boasts state-of-the-art equipment and its pending LEED certification make it unmatched among its peers. Fans can stay up-to-date with all the latest KBM news online at www.kylebuschmotorsports.com, by liking the team on facebook (www.facebook.com/KyleBuschMS) and following the team on twitter (@KyleBuschMS).
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By Clarissa Cruz | @clarissanyc1 | From the May 2011 issue of Inc. magazine

Serial entrepreneur Brian Levin was on a ski trip with buddy Matt Keiser in 2006 when one morning, after a raucous night, they discovered that a can of Red Bull had spilled into a backpack, soaking the beef jerky that lay inside. “We ate it, and it wasn’t horrific, and that kind of sparked an idea,” says Levin, 38. Four years later, the duo launched Perky Jerky, a performance-enhancing meat snack, juiced up with guarana. The company is on track to generate $5 million to $7 million in 2011, Levin says. He spoke with Inc.’s Clarissa Cruz.

What has been your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it?
Initially, it was hard to get people to take our product seriously. It’s very polarizing: Some people think the concept is strange, and they certainly don’t expect it to taste so good. A lot of people were hesitant to try it, but once they did, they became our biggest fans and evangelists. The more sampling we can do on a mass basis, the better.

How much money did you need to start Perky Jerky? What were the sources?
All of my investors are individual angel investors. It’s a mix of friends, family, and VCs who have supported me in my previous start-ups, one of which developed the text-messaging voting system used on American Idol. We don’t disclose fundraising details, but we have come a long way with a relatively small amount raised.

How did you get retail distribution?
For our first year, it was incredibly difficult to get into stores. When we pitched buyers, their first reaction was, “I need another jerky like I need a hole in the head.” Our first big break came when my dad, also a serial entrepreneur, gave some jerky to one of his customers, a distributor in Alaska who sells housewares to Home Depot, Sportsman’s Warehouse, and Target. The distributor presented it to those chains, and they all agreed to stock it.

What have you learned about bringing a new product to market?
The two most important things you need are distribution and repeat sales if you want to build a successful brand.

From his first laps in Friday morning¹s nearly three-hour final practice session, Buescher reported he was experiencing a tight-handling condition. The team worked hard to correct the condition, and by the end of the three hours, Buescher was reporting the team had made slight gains on the ABF Impala¹s handling condition.

As the sun set in the Virginia sky, Buescher lined his ABF Chevy up in the 36th position to begin the night¹s short-track showdown. He tightened his belts, expecting the beating and banging style racing short tracks like RIR are known for. The field took the green flag and Buescher immediately began picking off competitors. By lap nine, he had already taken over the 28th position. Twenty-two laps into the scheduled 250 circuits, he radioed to crew chief Stewart Cooper that his Impala was still suffering from the persistent tight-handling condition from earlier in the day. He continued to report that there was a slight chatter in the nose past the center of the corner.

Buescher fought hard for position as he battled the handling of his Chevrolet and finally, on lap 99, his crew chief, Stewart Cooper, radioed to Buescher to bring the ABF Chevrolet to pit road for service under green-flag conditions. The ABF crew quickly went to work changing four tires, packing the Chevy with fuel, and making wedge and air pressure adjustments. Buescher returned to the racing surface in the 26th position. When the night¹s first caution flag was displayed on lap 121, Buescher radioed the No. 30 was tight into the corners and loose off. Cooper again called his driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and heavy adjustments.
Buescher restarted the event in the 24th position.

The evening continued to be uncharacteristically quiet for the on-track action at the Richmond-based track. By lap 217, Buescher came over the radio to report his Chevy felt the best it had all night, proven in his lap times which were comparable to the leaders. Racing for position inside the top-25, he weathered two late-race cautions to bring the ABF Chevrolet Impala home in the 22nd position.

“This was not the night we were hoping for in Richmond, but I am proud of the whole ABF crew for working hard all weekend. These guys made so many changes to the car to try to get it better and never gave up. I just can¹t thank them enough for all their hard work today,” Buescher said after the race. “We will go back to the shop and regroup before I get back into this ABF Chevrolet in two weeks in Dover.”