Mopar to Sponsor NBA Legend Larry Nance in NHRA Series

16 April 1998

    CENTER LINE, Mich., April 16 -- Former NBA great Larry Nance
will join Team Mopar by driving a 1998 Dodge Avenger in the Pro Stock class of
the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series through the year 1999.
    With Mopar co-sponsorship, Nance joins current Team Mopar Pro Stock Dodge
Avenger sponsored drivers Darrell Alderman, Scott Geoffrion and Allen Johnson.
    "We are proud and excited to be associated with Larry Nance as he joins
the Team Mopar family," said Lou Patane, Executive Director of Chrysler
Motorsports.  "Not only is Larry a great drag racer, he is also an outstanding
individual who has so much to offer Mopar, our race fans and the sport of drag
racing.  Anytime you have an opportunity to bring to your team someone of
Larry's talent, character, and determination in a competitive environment, it
is an easy decision to make.  Larry will be a tremendous asset to our Team
Mopar driving line-up and make those around him that much more successful."
    Nance, 39, of Akron, Ohio, has been competing professionally in drag
racing since 1996.  Nance won his very first professional race he entered
while participating in an IHRA event in Darlington in 1996.  Since he joined
the NHRA, Nance's best time is a 6.909/193.93 while qualifying #7 at the 1998
Pennzoil Nationals in Houston, Texas.
    "We are very fortunate to have the support of Mopar and the Chrysler
Corporation," said Nance.  "My goal is to win championships and Mopar provides
the best opportunity for me to reach that goal.  Mopar has clearly been the
leader in the sport of drag racing and there is no other company or
performance parts that I would want to be associated with as a driver.  The
Mopar Dodge Avenger is a great race car and I just can't wait to get started."
    The former Cleveland Cavalier and Phoenix Sun star turned drag racer is
the NBA's all-time leading shot blocking forward with 2,027 blocked shots.
Nance had his uniform #22 retired an January 30, 1997 when the Cleveland
Cavaliers hosted the Phoenix Suns and currently hangs in the rafters at the
Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.  He currently serves as the Special Assistant
to Basketball Operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers and is involved in "Say
No To Drugs," the Arthritis Foundation and the Center Task Force on Violent
Crime.
    Mopar, the parts division of Chrysler Corporation , has been a
proud supporter of high-performance drag racing and the NHRA for over 30-
years.  Chrysler Corporation's motorsports programs are an integral part of
the company's corporate and brand image development and they play a vital role
in the continuous development of its people, processes and consumer products.

SOURCE  Chrysler Motorsports