Crown Royal and NASCAR's Jamie McMurray Promote Designated Driving with 'Safe Rides Home' Event

Fleet of No. 26 Ford Fusions Provide Patrons in Downtown Fort Worth with Free Rides Home from Area Hotspots

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 4 -- NASCAR fans are accustomed to seeing Jamie McMurray race at speeds upwards of 180 mph whenever he visits Texas Motor Speedway. On Thursday, April 6, fans will have the opportunity to witness McMurray test his driving skills on the streets of Fort Worth during the Crown Royal "Safe Rides Home" program. As part of this designated driver initiative, McMurray will team with his primary race sponsor, Crown Royal, to deploy a fleet of replica purple and gold No. 26 Ford Fusion cars that will be offering local bar patrons free, safe rides home for the night.

To show his commitment to the program, McMurray will get behind the wheel of one of the vehicles and provide free rides home to select consumers who sign up at a special Crown Royal No. 26 taxi stand. The marked kiosk in the heart of Rodeo Plaza will accept "fares" from 8:00pm - 1:00am. In total, 10 Crown Royal Ford Fusions will be in rotation and residents within a 20-mile radius of Fort Worth that are 21 years of age or older are eligible. There is a four-passenger limit per car.

The annual "Safe Rides Home" initiative to help promote responsible decision making and getting home safely has provided rides for hundreds of patrons and NASCAR fans since its inception in 2003. The program was created by Crown Royal's parent company Diageo to reinforce the importance of assigning designated drivers.

"'The Safe Rides Home' program returns in 2006 as part of our effort to promote the 'Be a Champion. Drink Responsibly.' campaign. This program is a very effective way to reiterate this message at the grassroots level and demonstrate to consumers that they do have options when out for the night," said Jim Lorenz, Senior Brand Manager, Crown Royal. "We are thrilled to partner with an up-and-coming driver like Jamie McMurray to help deliver an important message while getting the residents of Fort Worth home safely."

"As the season shifts into full gear, I am very excited to take part in the Crown Royal 'Safe Rides Home' initiative and personally meet NASCAR fans to remind them to drink responsibly," said McMurray. "What better way to drive home the responsible drinking message then to literally drive home the great fans of NASCAR."

Jamie McMurray, 29, widely regarded as one of the sport's rising stars, currently is in his fourth full season driving in NASCAR's elite series. He won Rookie of the Year honors in 2003, and currently sits 17th in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings after six races.

Crown Royal's integrated motorsports marketing plan includes primary race team sponsorship at 18 races during the 2006 season. The brand will continue to capitalize on its sponsorship on several additional levels throughout the season, including consumer promotions and retail events, dedicated print and broadcast advertising to promote responsible drinking, licensing, online consumer promotions, public relations and hospitality.

Crown Royal also continues to engage race fans across the country with its title sponsorship of the Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) series. In addition, the Crown Royal Special Reserve brand is presenting sponsor of the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, and Crown Royal will serve as title sponsor in 2006 of both the Crown Royal Grand American Challenge of Long Beach, CA on April 8 and the Crown Royal 200 at Watkins Glen, NY on August 11.

About Crown Royal

Crown Royal, the number one selling Canadian Whisky, has a tradition as long and distinctive as its taste. Specially blended to commemorate a grand tour of Canada made by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain in 1939, Crown Royal's smooth, elegant style reflects its aristocratic origins and is considered the epitome of Canadian whisky. In addition to its sponsorship of the Crown Royal IROC Series, Grand Am and the No. 26 Nextel Cup Team, the brand also sponsors The Crown Royal Bad Boys of Comedy Tour, the Crown Royal American Turfstakes race at Churchill Downs and a number of other major regional and national events. For more information on Crown Royal, visit http://www.crownroyal.com/ .

About Roush Racing

Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 13 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, Jr., and two in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan and Erik Darnell. For sponsorship inquiries, contact Robin Johnson, Roush Racing, (704) 720-4645.

About Diageo

Crown Royal is proudly owned by Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O), the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 200 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at http://www.diageo.com/ .

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.