Friendly's Sponsors
NASCAR Winston Cup Car

WILBRAHAM, MASSACHUSETTS (September 3, 2002): Friendly's Restaurants announces their sponsorship of Derrike Cope, a Winston Cup driver scheduled to race at the New Hampshire International Speedway September 15, 2002. Mr. Cope, a former Daytona 500 winner and Fox Sports News' "NASCAR This Morning" television analyst, will kick off this partnership at Friendly's Corporate headquarters on Monday, September 9th. Mr. Cope and his show car will be making scheduled appearances throughout the state leading up to his Sunday performance at Loudon.

"Getting involved in the fastest growing sport in the United States fulfills a marketing objective of increasing our brand awareness," stated Peter E. Bell, Senior Director, Marketing for Friendly's. "Of the 63 million NASCAR fans, 40% are women and 78% are in the 18-54 age bracket which aligns itself very well with Friendly's demographics. We will use the Loudon sponsorship as an indicator for a larger promotional idea for 2003."

Friendly Ice Cream Corporation is a vertically integrated restaurant company serving signature sandwiches, entrees, and ice cream desserts in a friendly, family environment in more than 550 company and franchised restaurants throughout the Northeast. The company also manufactures ice cream, which is distributed through more than 3,500 supermarkets and other retail locations. With a 67-year operating history, Friendly's enjoys strong brand recognition and is currently revitalizing its restaurants and introducing new products to grow its customer base.