NASCAR Day telethon to have multi-platform media

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The NASCAR Foundation announced on Friday that it has joined forces with several NASCAR drivers and media partners for a historic telethon in support of NASCAR Day on May 18.

Thanks to the NASCAR Foundation and a slew of NASCAR's media partners including SIRIUS Satellite Radio, SPEED, NASCAR.COM and MRN, fans will have a chance on May 18 to speak with their favorite drivers, celebrate NASCAR Day and make a donation to a charitable cause of their choice, as the Foundation has brought together an impressive list of Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series drivers to help answer phones as part of the first ever NASCAR Day telethon, live from the Sam Bass Gallery in Concord, N.C.

By calling 1-888-May18th (1-888-629-1884) on NASCAR Day and making a donation, fans will be helping the 30-plus driver, team and track charities that the Foundation supports year round. Any fan who mentions his or her favorite driver or NASCAR charity will have 100 percent of that donation go directly to their designated charity.

NASCAR Day, an annual, charitable celebration of the spirit of NASCAR, last year raised more than $1.3 million, with 98,000 pins distributed through NASCAR.COM and more than 3,000 company locations participating all across the country.

The drivers who are scheduled to participate include Greg Biffle, Ward Burton, Brendan Gaughan, Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman and Elliott and Hermie Sadler.

"The 2007 NASCAR Day telethon is an opportunity for our drivers to tell the fans about the causes they support, and the response from our drivers and other NASCAR celebrities has been nothing short of tremendous," said Mark Dyer, NASCAR's vice president of licensing and consumer products and officer of the NASCAR Foundation.

NASCAR media partners are showing strong support to the NASCAR Day telethon. Sirius Satellite Radio will go live from the telethon all day long starting at 7 a.m. with Marty Snider and David Poole signing on the air with The Morning Drive live at the site of the telethon. SPEED, which will carry the All-Star Challenge on May 19 (7 p.m. ET), will do live cut-ins throughout the day and NASCAR.com will stream SIRIUS' broadcasts as well as provide original video content on their homepage all day long.

MRN, which will carry the Quaker Steak & Lube 200 presented by Circle K (SPEED, 8:30 p.m. ET), will give live updates on the money raised throughout that night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

"Our media partners, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, SPEED, NASCAR.com and MRN, have all climbed on board to cover the event so millions of NASCAR fans across the country can follow the telethon all day, and can join in by donating to their favorite driver, team or track charity," Dyer said.

Each person who pledges at least $25 will automatically become a Friend of the Foundation and will receive a 2007 NASCAR Day lapel pin. The first 100 people to pledge $100 to their favorite driver charity will receive an incentive item. For the driver who has the most callers and raises the most funds in their name, the NASCAR Foundation will match, up to $10,000, the funds raised during the NASCAR Day telethon.

In addition fans can also make a donation and receive this year's Sam Bass-designed lapel pin, online at NASCAR.com or at any The Home Depot location nationwide.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), which began in 1948, is the sanctioning body for one of America's premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport -- holding 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S., the No. 2 rated regular-season sport on television with broadcasts in over 150 countries, and has 75 million fans. These fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport. NASCAR consists of three major national series (the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series), four regional series and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. NASCAR sanctions 1,300 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach (Fla.), NASCAR has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Bentonville (Ark.), Mexico City and Toronto.

About The NASCAR Foundation

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc., (NASCAR) launched the NASCAR Foundation in January 2006. The Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit entity that embodies the compassion of the NASCAR Family and its commitment to serving communities. The Foundation supports a wide range of charitable initiatives that reflect the core values of the entire NASCAR Family. The NASCAR Foundation will use strength of the sport and its people to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most. For more information on the NASCAR Foundation, please visit the website: www.nascar.com/foundation.