The marriage between stock car racing and the hotel industry moved up a notch with Holiday Inns' recent announcement that it's now sponsor of a car in the NASCAR Busch Series.

The No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Holiday Inn Chevrolet driven by Jeff Burton makes its debut this month at the Richmond International Speedway. The team plans to enter 10 races this season.

Like most marketing-conscious NASCAR drivers, Burton had the right thing to say about the sponsorship: “Growing up, my brothers and I competed in the go-kart circuit in Virginia and we used to stay at Holiday Inns. Now 30 years later driving for Holiday Inn, it feels like I've come full circle.”