JOLIET, Ill. — A yellow vehicle with Blue Bird logos on it will be flying around the race track here on Saturday, but it won't be a school bus.

Blue Bird Corp. and ROUSH CleanTech announced on Monday that they will serve as the primary sponsors for NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and his No. 6 team during the Dollar General 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Stenhouse is the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion. This Saturday's race will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

“It is always great to have a new sponsor come into the sport,” Stenhouse said. “Blue Bird has such a rich history. I remember riding a Blue Bird bus when I was a kid. The partnership that Blue Bird and ROUSH CleanTech have formed to provide clean emissions for the environment shows the class of these two organizations. The bright yellow Ford Mustang will definitely stand out on the track. Hopefully we can get them into victory lane for their NASCAR debut.”

Earlier this season, Stenhouse sat on the pole and led a race high 135 of 200 laps in the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. Stenhouse had victory in his sights before a late caution spoiled his bid for the win. He has four career starts at Chicagoland, with one top-five and two top-10 finishes.

“Blue Bird is thrilled to sponsor Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as he looks to continue his winning success,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corp., adding that the company is "delighted to partner with a leading automotive innovator such as ROUSH CleanTech for this exciting race.”

Blue Bird offers its Vision and Micro Bird school buses powered by ROUSH's propane autogas fuel system.

“It is exciting to have Blue Bird as a sponsor on Ricky Stenhouse’s No. 6 Nationwide Series Ford,” said Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing at ROUSH CleanTech. “Having their brand on the defending champ’s car will only help elevate the awareness of Blue Bird and propane autogas.”

Other recent news about Blue Bird:

• Blue Bird honors long-time employees

• Blue Bird appoints marketing, sales execs