News Release: Andrew Firestone To Participate In Toyota Pro/Celeb rity Race At Grand Prix Of Long Beach

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Media Center

                        (877) 201-2373

 

ANDREW FIRESTONE TO PARTICIPATE IN

TOYOTA PRO/CELEBRITY RACE AT GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH

Will next face competitors in Tire Rack(tm) Cannonball(r) One Lap of America
event

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 14, 2004) - Andrew Firestone, great-grandson of The
Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. founder Harvey S. Firestone, and recently famous
for his role in ABC's television series The Bachelor, will compete in the
28th Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long
Beach.  The 2004 event will begin at noon on Saturday, April 17, with
drivers racing through the streets of downtown Long Beach, Calif.  Andrew's
specially prepared Toyota Celica, and all other Celica's in the event, will
be equipped with Bridgestone-brand Potenza* RE750 ultra-high-performance
tires, continuing Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire LLC's seven year
tradition as official tire supplier of the event.   

"As excited as I am to be competing, I'm even more thrilled to represent my
family and Bridgestone/Firestone in this high-profile motorsports event,"
said Andrew Firestone. "Showcasing both the technological advances and
enduring quality of our tires on the racetrack is a tradition that my
great-grandfather Harvey began more than nine decades ago. I'm very proud to
follow in his footsteps."

Drivers in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race during the Toyota Grand Prix of
Long Beach, including Andrew Firestone, are trained at Danny McKeever's Fast
Lane Racing School, which also relies on Bridgestone/Firestone to provide
its official tires.  Located at Willow Springs International Motorsports
Park in Rosamond, Calif., the Fast Lane Racing School has been the training
ground for Toyota Pro/Celebrity drivers for the past 19 years.

Firestone's involvement in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race, as well as his
training at McKeever's Fast Lane Racing School, are two more stops in an
intensive training sequence to prepare him for participation in the Tire
Rack(tm) Cannonball(r) One Lap of America presented by Car and Driver(tm)
taking place April 28 - May 8.  In the past month, Firestone has also honed
his skills on the tracks at Infineon Raceway (Sonoma, Calif.), BeaveRun (Big
Beaver Borough, Pa.) and Road America (Elkhart Lake, Wis.).  For the
grueling 10-day Cannonball event, Firestone will be paired with his brother
Adam as a co-driver, competing at seven track locations throughout the
United States.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
<http://www.seeing-stars.com/StarIndexes/GeneHackman.shtml> , which began in
1974, attracts world-class Champ Car competitors from around the world,
driving open-wheel race cars through the streets of downtown Long Beach at
speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. This season, the Bridgestone brand will
again serve as the Presenting Sponsor for what has become known worldwide as
Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford.  Since
2002, Bridgestone has been the Official Tire and Bridgestone/Firestone has
served as sole supplier for the series.  This season every Champ Car
competitor will again be equipped with Bridgestone Potenza racing radials.
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search?tag=seeingstarscom&mode=v
ideo&keyword=Alfonso+Ribeiro> 

"Long Beach is, without a doubt, one of the premier events for us every
year," said Al Speyer, executive director of motorsports,
Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire LLC.  "Supplying both the Champ
Car race and the celebrity race gives us a very unique opportunity to
showcase the quality of both our street tires and our race tires to the same
audience.  This year we're particularly proud to have Andrew participate.
Like the rest of his family, Andrew is a great race fan, and we're very
excited that he's becoming more involved in our motorsports activities."

Sunday's professional race is preceded by a week of festivities, including
the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race, which pits Hollywood celebrities against
famous sports figures.

Last year, celebrity drivers included Josh Brolin (Senator 'Bill Sterling'
on Mr. Sterling), Angie Everhart (actress and model), Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11
astronaut and the second man to walk on the moon), Picabo Street (Olympic
skiing champion), Tommy Shane Steiner (country music artist), Peter Reckell
('Bo Brady' on Days of Our Lives) and Adam Carolla (co-host of The Man Show
and the radio show Loveline).

The Bridgestone Potenza RE750 with UNI-T(tm) technology, inspired by the
Bridgestone Potenza racing tire, is an ultra-high performance tire that
lives up to the Potenza name.  The Potenza RE750 has been engineered to
reduce road noise, especially as it wears, and is designed to complement the
style and complex systems of today's finest performance cars.  The
Bridgestone Potenza RE750 has improved wear for performance applications
and, with its uni-directional tread pattern, delivers rapid response,
traction and outstanding wet and dry handling.

Nashville-based Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is a
subsidiary of Bridgestone/Firestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent
company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber
company. BFNT develops, manufactures, and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and
associate and private brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and
original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial
vehicle, off-road, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North
America.

# # #

 

Regards,

 

Tiffany Bryant

Public Relations

Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc.

535 Marriott Drive

Nashville, TN 37214

 

615.937.1418 - voice

1.877.201.2373 - media center