NASCAR Fans Off to the Races with Rand McNally's Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide

-Guide combines high-quality maps and insider information racing enthusiasts want to know-

SKOKIE, Ill., April 3 -- Whether NASCAR fans find themselves inside the racetrack or off the beaten track, they will have no trouble finding fun and excitement with the new Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide from Rand McNally, North America's largest commercial mapmaker.

The guide blends 160 pages of reliable Rand McNally maps with 200 pages of in-depth travel information and visitor tips for each of the 31 NASCAR- sanctioned tracks in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Available now at RandMcNally.com and this spring at Barnes & Noble, Borders and Wal-Mart stores and Amazon.com, the 8.5 x 11-inch Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide has a suggested retail price of $14.95.

"NASCAR fans often hit the road to see races firsthand and soak up the local flavor of the areas near the speedways. The Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide arms fans with all the information they need to get to their destinations, enjoy the NASCAR experience and discover things to see, do and eat while they're there," said Laurie Borman, editorial director for Rand McNally.

Road Trip Guide Steers Fans in Right Direction

In addition to a full U.S. and Canada road atlas, the Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide includes aerial photographs and easy-to-read maps of the local areas around each track. It also features detailed regional maps overlaid with circles to indicate areas 20, 50 and 100 miles from the track so visitors can gauge how close they are to surrounding attractions.

From the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles to the Everglades Alligator Farm in Florida City, the guide highlights hundreds of places where NASCAR enthusiasts and families will want to make pit stops of their own. Within each track-specific section, recommendations are divided into four categories:

   -- "Food Stuff": specialty foods, regional dishes and local favorites,
      such as fried catfish at Race City Diner near Talladega
   -- "Camping & Lodging": campgrounds, RV parks, hotels and motels,
      including infield camping at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
   -- "Around Town": shopping, historical sites and other visitor activities
      in town, such as ATV riding at Lake Sugar Tree Motorsport Park near
      Martinsville Speedway
   -- "Pull Over": places where travelers can get out and stretch their legs
      on their way to and from the track, including the Richard Petty Museum
      in Randleman, N.C.

  Guide Souped-Up With Insider Tips

The Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide is packed with information to help racing fans get the most out of their speedway visits. The guide features a detailed description of each track, driving directions, and useful information regarding parking, road construction and traffic flow. Insider tips include how to obtain pit passes, local radio stations for race coverage, items allowed past the track gate and which seats offer the best views.

"We designed the Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide to be an all-in-one resource for planning your NASCAR trip and for the day of race," said Borman. "From what weather visitors can expect at Texas Motor Speedway to where first aid stations are located at Chicagoland Speedway, it's really got it all."

To enhance fans' NASCAR experience, the guide spotlights lesser-known racetrack amenities, speedway history, track tour information, local racing schools and opportunities to meet drivers. It also highlights a scenic "Don't Miss Drive" nearby each racetrack.

Part of the NASCAR Library Collection the Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide includes: a full calendar of NASCAR races, 10 great moments in NASCAR history, a raceway flags key, driving times and distances between North American cities and speedways, border crossing information and cell phone emergency numbers.

About Rand McNally & Company

Rand McNally is North America's largest commercial maker of national and local maps, street guides and atlases. The company's print and electronic products include America's No. 1 Road Atlas, The Thomas Guide(R) map books, custom-made wall maps on the Web, wireless navigation solutions and online maps, directions and trip planning at http://www.randmcnally.com/ .

Rand McNally offers the most trusted tools to discover, map and navigate your world. The company leads the way with innovative products and services for the consumer, business, education and commercial transportation markets. For more information, visit http://www.randmcnally.com/ or call (800) 333-0136.

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 NASCAR Library Collection

A division of NASCAR's overall licensing operation in its Charlotte office, NASCAR Publishing oversees more than 40 licensed publishing partners. In 2004, NASCAR launched the NASCAR Library Collection which provides a level of authentication and quality to NASCAR licensed books. Representing a range of books as diverse and varied as the NASCAR fan base, the NASCAR Library Collection captures the NASCAR lifestyle from all angles. The NASCAR Library Collection includes books in a number of categories, including: drivers and personalities, cookbooks, history, children, fiction and romance, and statistics, facts and reference. NASCAR Library Collection titles can be found in an array of retail outlets including mass market, bookstores, specialty and more.