SMITHFIELD, Va., Nov. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield closes out the 2016 racing season by hosting a series of events to celebrate the Homestead-Miami Speedway championship race weekend. On Friday, November 18, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) team drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott trade in their racecars and go head-to-head in a "supermarket sweep" at a local Safeway in Oakland Park, Fla. On Sunday, November 20, all the action and excitement moves to the Smithfield display at the Homestead-Miami Speedway fan zone. There, Smithfield will partner with No. 43 driver Almirola and racing legend Richard Petty, The King, to crown the ultimate champion of Smithfield's Whole Hog Challenge — a series of competitive amateur eating contests with qualifying events throughout the race season. Following the event, Smithfield and Albertsons/Safeway will host the culmination of the Winning 43 sweepstakes, which offered fans a chance to win and drive away with a replica of Petty's 1967 Plymouth Belvedere.

"Race fans have long been looking forward to the 2016 championship race weekend at Homestead, and we're thrilled to add to the excitement with this series of events," said Bob Weber, vice president of sponsorships for Smithfield Foods. "We're proud to team up with racing legend Richard Petty and our valued partner Albertsons/Safeway to bring these experiences to our loyal customers and fans of the Richard Petty Motorsports team."

Friday, November 18: Smithfield and Safeway "Supermarket Sweep"
Smithfield and Safeway will host a "Supermarket Sweep" with RPM No. 43 driver Aric Almirola and No. 44 driver Brian Scott. Both drivers will trade in their respective racecars for shopping carts and team up with customers to race through the aisles of Safeway at 950 NE 50th Street, Oakland Park, Fla., from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. The winning customer paired with the driver who grabs the most items off of the shopping list within a three-minute time period will receive a gift card totaling the full value of all items in their shopping cart.

Sunday, November 20: Smithfield Whole Hog Challenge Championship
Fifteen winners of the season-long Smithfield Whole Hog Challenge will gather at Homestead-Miami Speedway and face off against each other for a chance to win a trip to the 2017 race in Daytona along with a race-worn No. 43 Smithfield fire suit autographed by Petty and Almirola. The pair will emcee and judge the finale to see who will be the fastest to devour two pounds of bacon and take home the championship title.

Congratulations and good luck to the finalists: Chris Damron (Lawrenceville, Ga.), John Briggs (Spanish Fork, Utah), Richard Cowan (Strawberry, Ariz.), Rob Rasberry (Palmdale, Calif.), David Glover (Howard Beach, N.Y.), Jeff Hill (Conklin, Mich.), Eric Deitz (Orland, Calif.), Brianna Wettrick (Shelbyville, Ind.), Al Korzyk (N. Chesterfield, Va.), Doug Potts (Joliet, Ill.), John Logan (Lexington, Mass.), Wyatt Morse (Englewood, Fla.), Charles Evans (Toney, Ala.), Martin Falloon (Ridgeway, Va.), and Christopher Gunther (Mansfield, Texas).

Sunday, November 20: Winning 43 Key-Turning Ceremony
Fourteen lucky first-place winners of the Winning 43 sweepstakes will gather for the celebratory key-turning ceremony at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The sweepstakes celebrates the anticipated 50th anniversary of the 1967 Belvedere that Petty drove into the history books with 27 wins during a single season. Each winner will receive a key to try powering up The King's car, and the winner who successfully starts the engine will take home a replica of the Belvedere that allowed Petty to achieve more wins than any other car in racing history.

Finalists include: Bradley Hall (Seattle, Wash.), Greg Rastatter (Rainier, Ore.), Robert Hoffman (Castro Valley, Calif.), Lisa McMains (Irvine, Calif.), Dan Needham (Ogden, Utah), Nathan Libby (Mesa, Ariz.), Scott McKinney (Loveland, Colo.), Mike Taylor (Plains, Texas), Betty French (Roanoke, Texas), Michael Allen (Pearland, Texas), Donna Gregory (Kankakee, Ill.), Lois Strawbridge (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Alexander Korogodsky (Sudbury, Mass.), and Craig Tyler (Montrose, Pa.).

"Richard Petty Motorsports is honored to partner with Smithfield for all of the exciting activity during the championship race weekend," said Richard Petty, RPM team co-owner. "We're excited to crown the champion of the Whole Hog Challenge season-long amateur-eating competition, and we look forward to seeing the winner next year at Daytona. I'm also proud to help provide the keys to the kingdom to one lucky winner of the Winning 43 sweepstakes — they'll get to drive away with the legendary car that gave me the winningest season in my racing career."

About Smithfield
A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the "Ham Capital of the World." From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield's products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Kretschmar®, Gwaltney®, Curly's®, Margherita®, Carando®, Healthy Ones®, Krakus®, Morliny®, and Berlinki®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.

About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and the "Fresh From Florida" campaign. Scott will make his debut with the team and drive the Petty Family No. 44 Ford. Albertsons Companies, Shore Lodge, Twisted Tea and GoBowling.com will join Scott as he competes for Rookie of the Year in his first full-time season in the Sprint Cup Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.

About Albertsons Companies
Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with both a strong local presence and national scale. Albertsons Companies operate stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 19 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. Albertsons Companies is dedicated to helping people across the country live better lives. In 2015 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the company gave more than $270 million in food and financial support to the more than 2,300 communities it serves, improving the lives of millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities, and veterans outreach. Albertsons Companies is committed to making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood.

Media Contacts:

Hunter PR for Smithfield
Elisabeth Garcia
(212) 679-6600
egarcia@hunterpr.com

Albertsons Companies
Teena Massingill?
(925) 226-5820
teena.massingill@albertsons.com

Richard Petty Motorsports
Heather Lumpp
(847) 302-5509
hlumpp@rpm43.com