Caterpillar will be the primary sponsor on Jeff Burton’s #31 Chevy for 21 of the 36 Sprint Cup races in 2012. Caterpillar also will sponsor the 31 car in three non-points events the Budweiser Shootout and Gatorade Duels at Daytona and the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte. In all other races, Caterpillar will still have a major presence on the car. Included in the Caterpillar races are both Talladega dates, Las Vegas, both Texas races, both Kansas races, the June race at Michigan, the night race at Bristol, Watkins Glen and Chicago. Caterpillar will be the primary sponsor for eight of the 10 Chase races. ‘We ‘re very pleased,’ said Greg Towles, Caterpillar’s NASCAR program director. ‘We got the races we wanted.’ Not on the schedule is the Brickyard 400, which Caterpillar has often relinquished to other primary sponsors in the past. Towles said that race is a tough sell to Caterpillar’s dealers and customers because hospitality is costly. The 21 races will include specialty paint schemes, including a patriotic theme for the All-Star Race. In past years, the company has used the car to showcase different divisions such as Cat Rental, Cat Financial and, last year, Cat Global Mining, and Towles said that program will continue. With the departure of Clint Bowyer from Richard Childress Racing, General Mills ‘ Wheaties brand also will be a primary sponsor for Burton this year. And on Tuesday, it was announced that BB&T;, another one of Bowyer’s former sponsors, will be the primary for five of Burton’s races in 2012.(Peoria Journal Star)(1-26-2012)
