Smirnoff Ice Salutes Kenseth Victory at Rockingham

Mr. Consistency Silences Critics With Photo Finish Win

STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 25 -- Smirnoff Ice, proud sponsor of Matt Kenseth and No. 17 Roush Racing, congratulates the team for their heart- pounding NASCAR NEXTEL Cup win on Sunday at the North Carolina Speedway. "This is for everybody who thought we couldn't lead laps and win races," Kenseth told a TV interviewer yesterday.

Each race weekend, Kenseth and the No. 17 Smirnoff Ice Ford urge adult race fans to "Be Smart, Drink Responsibly." Throughout the season, Kenseth will take part in a variety of initiatives designed to further educate adults about the dangers of drinking and driving, and the importance of responsible drinking.

"This victory goes a long way to silencing the critics of Matt's Championship season last year," said James Stammer, Marketing Director for Smirnoff Ice. "The NASCAR season is a marathon, not a sprint, and Matt understands what it takes to be a winner."

Kenseth led an unprecedented 259 of 393 laps and managed to hold off rookie Kasey Kahne by the slimmest of margins for his first win in nearly a year. His .010-second winning margin was the fourth closest finish since NASCAR introduced the electronic scoring system in 1993. The victory was his eighth of his career with NASCAR's premier Series, giving Kenseth a pair of top-10 finishes in the first two races of the year (9th at the Daytona 500). The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series now shifts to Las Vegas on March 7, where Kenseth is the defending champion.

The Cambridge, Wis. native, who will turn 32 early next month, is winning over the NASCAR world with his style -- both on the track and off. NASCAR's reigning Series champion and his team are tacticians, decision-makers who analyze a situation before making a move. For this very reason, there couldn't be a better spokesperson for the Smirnoff Ice "Be Smart, Drink Responsibly" campaign that Kenseth takes very seriously and whose logo he proudly displays on the hood of his No. 17 Ford.

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   Matt Ciesluk
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   matt@alantaylor.com