In January, we announced a partnership with the legendary Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) team for the upcoming 2012 NASCAR season. As primary sponsor for fifteen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, including February's Daytona 500, this year you will see variety of Smithfield brands adorning the legendary No. 43 Ford Fusion, piloted by Aric Almirola.

Aric was recently named as driver of RPM's infamous No. 43 Ford and will make his Sprint Cup debut at Daytona. "I'm looking forward to representing the Smithfield brands," Aric said. "They have some great things planned and I am happy to be a part of it."

The Petty organization meshes well with our core values at Smithfield so this partnership arises as a very natural fit. "The Petty's stand firmly for family values and demonstrate a strong regard and enthusiasm for helping others, which is something we're thrilled to be a part of," said C. Larry Pope, our president and chief executive officer. "We're excited to explore the many  possibilities in which we can give back through Helping Hungry Homes,® our initiative focused on alleviating hunger across America." In fact, Helping Hungry Homes® will be Smithfield's featured brand for the Daytona 500.

We're all revved up to be on the track with such a great team!