Stewart movie paint schemes debut in die-cast

Despite winning the Busch Series season-opener at Daytona, Tony Stewart has experienced more than his share of disappointments this year.

He remains, however, a solid top-10 seller in the collectibles market and will headline two high profile special paint schemes in the coming months.

For starters, Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Bobby Labonte will drive cars promoting DreamWorks Animation's upcoming animated feature film Madagascar during May race weeks at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

	SUPERSTORE •   Stewart special paint schemes •   More Stewart gear

Stewart will drive the No. 20 The Home Depot/Madagascar Chevrolet during the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge on May 21. Labonte will pilot the No. 18 Interstate Batteries/Madagascar Chevrolet during NASCAR's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, on May 29.

Set to open May 27, Madagascar follows the story of four wild animals who are treated to a pampered existence in the zoo until they are inadvertently shipped to the island of Madagascar. The four characters - Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippopotamus - provide the basis for paint schemes that will grace the cars of Stewart and Labonte.

"NASCAR truly is a family sport, and the NASCAR All-Star Challenge is where we, as drivers, can put on a really good show for all of them," Stewart said. "The No. 20 The Home Depot/Madagascar Chevrolet is sure to look good under the lights at Charlotte. And with a lion, a zebra, a giraffe and hippo along for the ride, it'll be okay if the kids have to stay up past their bedtimes to see us in victory lane."

This is the second time in the past two years that DreamWorks Animation has collaborated with Joe Gibbs Racing for a special promotion at Charlotte. Last season, the organizations teamed to showcase a pair of Shrek 2-themed stock cars that also saw action during the all-star and Memorial Day weekend races.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Madagascar with my family," Labonte said. "DreamWorks has produced some great family films, and I'm sure Madagascar is another good one.

Action Performance Companies, which holds licensing agreements with both Stewart and Labonte, will produce and market die-cast replicas of both Madagascar race cars.

Action Performance has added a racing twist to its yearlong James Dean 50th Anniversary tribute. As part of the program, Stewart will race a special James Dean paint scheme on the No. 33 Kevin Harvick-owned Chevrolet in the August 6 NASCAR Busch Series event at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Also involved in the initiative are NHRA Funny Car icon John Force and 19-time World of Outlaws Champion Steve Kinser. Fouteen-time world champion Force will showcase the James Dean 50th Anniversary logo aboard his famous Castrol GTX Ford Mustang funny car during an upcoming NHRA event while Kinser will race a James Dean 50th Anniversary winged sprint car during the Outlaws race at Indiana's Lawrenceburg Speedway on Aug. 3.

"The James Dean 50th Anniversary program is off to an impressive start," said Action president, chairman and CEO Fred Wagenhals, whose personal car collection includes a full-scale replica of Dean's infamous Porsche 550 Spyder. " As James Dean himself was a dedicated driver, it also seemed appropriate to honor his memory with a special Action program anchored by legendary drivers John Force and Steve Kinser and young champions Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick. I hope Dean's fans will agree."