John Schnatter, also known as”Papa John,” the Founder and CEO, for Papa Johns pizza restaurants, will serve as Honorary Starter for the 51st annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, July 4 at Daytona International Speedway. Schnatter will wave the green flag for the 43-car field from the starters stand and kick off the racing action in the Independence Day holiday classic. At the age of 22, Schnatter knocked out the broom closet in his father’s tavern, sold his prized 1972 Z28 Camaro, purchased $1,600 worth of used restaurant equipment and began delivering pizzas out of the back of the bar. Papa John’s opened its first pizza restaurant in 1984 and today is the worlds third largest pizza company with more than 3,400 restaurants world wide. Tickets for the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola on Saturday night, July 4 are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(7-1-2009)
