Suave Men Brings Its Performance to the Racetrack and Challenges JR Motorsports Teams to Perform in a Head To Head Challenge for a Good Cause

CHICAGO, April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its first foray into NASCAR, Suave® Men™ announced today the Suave Men Head To Head Challenge, pitting the No. 88 Suave Men Chevrolet and driver Kelly Bires against the JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet in a head-to-head competition during the Nationwide Series race in July at Chicagoland Speedway. JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. issued the challenge to the teams, which will calculate each teams performance at Chicagoland based on a series of performance challenges throughout the weekend. The winning team with best combined times will have a donation made on their behalf to The Dale Jr. Foundation, which supports improving the confidence and education of underprivileged children. Suave Men, personal care products designed for men, will serve as the primary sponsor of the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet at Nashville Superspeedway on April 3rd and Chicagoland Speedway on July 9th with driver Kelly Bires.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100402/CG80709)

"When we race, we always race to win. But having Dale Jr. and Suave Men throw down this challenge between our teams adds a little incentive to deliver top-performing results that weekend," explained Kelly Bires, driver of the No. 88 Suave Men Chevrolet. "While bragging rights are on the line – we're also challenging ourselves to make a difference in people's lives as the winner of the challenge will have a donation made to The Dale Jr. Foundation. That's a cause close to us all."

The Suave Men Head To Head Challenge will play out over the course of the Nationwide Series practice, qualifying and Saturday night race at Chicagoland Speedway.  Each team's performance will be based on practice time, qualifying place, average of pit stop times and finish. The team with the best scores across all four categories will be crowned the winner.

"In thinking about how to amplify our JR Motorsports sponsorship, focusing on the team's performance credentials made sense as Suave Men is all about performance," said David Rubin, marketing director for Suave. "Suave Men carries some serious performance credentials when it comes to the shower, offering guys products specifically designed to meet a man's grooming needs.  We're thrilled to see Kelly and the Suave Men team try to outperform their JR Motorsports teammates."

Suave has applied its expertise to make quality hair products for men, offering shampoos and conditioners in clean, masculine scents that deliver outstanding performance for less than the more expensive brands.  New product introductions for 2010 include 32 oz. sizes of Suave Men 3-in-1 Shampoo+Conditioner+Bodywash, Suave Men Deep Cleaning Shampoo and a new look for Suave Men Hair+Body Wash.

Bires joined JR Motorsports last September and is scheduled to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet in 2010.  The 25-year-old Mauston, Wis., native made his first start for the team in the 2009 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Bires started seventh in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway last year.

For more information about Suave Men or the Suave Men Head To Head Challenge, visit www.twitter.com/suavemenracing or www.suave.com/men.

ABOUT SUAVE:

Suave Men products are designed to get the job done on men's hair but without the salon price tag. New 32 oz. sizes of Suave Men 3-in-1 Shampoo+Conditioner+Bodywash and Suave Men Deep Cleaning Shampoo hit shelves in February 2010, followed by the new look of Suave Men Hair + Body Wash.  Also, reformulated Suave Men Dandruff Shampoo will hit shelves in early 2010. Suave Men has a suggested retail price of $0.97-$3.99 and are available at drug, mass merchandisers, and supermarkets nationwide.

ABOUT UNILEVER NORTH AMERICA:

Unilever works to create a better future every day.  We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.  Each day, around the world, consumers make 160 million decisions to purchase Unilever products. In the United States, Canada and the Greater Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Blue Band, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Omo, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2009. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.

ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:

JR Motorsports is the management company and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR's seven-time Most Popular Driver and winner of more than 40 NASCAR-sanctioned races. JR Motorsports competes in multiple racing divisions, including the NASCAR Nationwide Series.  In 2008 JRM enjoyed a breakout season with four Nationwide Series victories between its two teams. The company followed suit with four more wins in 2009.  The JR Motorsports facilities are based out of Mooresville, N.C., and include the JR Nation retail store, Hammerhead Entertainment, and DEJ Realty. For more information on JR Motorsports, visit www.dalejr.com.

SOURCE Suave