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FORD TAKES NASCAR EXCITEMENT TO A NEW LEVEL WITH TEAM TAURUS

Daytona Beach, FL., February 9, 2001—February means the NASCAR racing circuit is about to begin, and for Ford fans that means a whole new level of excitement in 2001.

Ford Division announced today that it has created "Team Taurus," an Internet-based sweepstakes that allows fans to be part of the racing action and win valuable trips and prizes. Ford announced that McDonalds and Tide have joined as partners in the innovative program that will bring racing excitement to consumers of all three companies

"Racing is an important part of our heritage at Ford Division," said Taurus Marketing Manager Rick Crossland, "NASCAR fans are passionate about the drivers they cheer for and the cars they buy. By extending this passion to Ford products and our partner's products, we're creating a way for companies involved in NASCAR to join together to reach consumers in new and exciting ways."

The Team Taurus sweepstakes will involve race fans in an interactive environment. Contest participants can log onto www.raceteamtaurus.com, Fordvehicles.com, Tide and McDonald's racing pages and a number of other web pages that link to the sweepstakes' site.

On the site, participants can participate in an interactive game revolving around Ford drivers and their NASCAR performance. The season-long interactive contest will culminate with winners earning prizes like Taurus SEL or a trip to the March 2002 Atlanta 500 NASCAR race.

"Our interactive game on the web will be a true racing experience for fans," Crossland said, "Every week they will have new information, results and highlights on the web page. Just like the NASCAR circuit, the excitement will build as the season progresses and we name the ultimate champions."

Ford is able to provide its NASCAR partners with a complete program, including managing the sweepstakes promotion and providing web content," A program like this benefits all partners," Crossland said. "Our partners enhance their racing and brand image by joining with Ford, a leading-edge automotive brand. Ford gets to extend its message by participating in the partners' promotional, point-of-purchase and coupon programs. Both Ford and its partners get a benefit from co-branding and reaching millions of consumers in an interactive new fashion."

The sweepstakes launch Feb. 9th. The launch will be supported with ads in Sports Illustrated, USA Today and the Motorsports Radio Network.