Ryan Newman's Team Breaks Three-Way Tie for Checkers(R)/Rally's(R) Double Drive-Thru Challenge
#12 ALLTEL(R) Team Leading Race Among Pit Crews for $100,000 Grand Prize
TAMPA, Fla., June 28 -- Sixteen races into the 2005 NASCAR(R) NEXTEL Cup Series season, the #12 ALLTEL(R) Team with driver Ryan Newman is leading the Checkers(R)/Rally's(R) Double Drive-Thru Challenge.
With its fourth Double Drive-Thru Challenge victory coming on Sunday at the Dodge(R)/Save Mart(R) 350, Newman's team drove one win ahead of Rusty Wallace's No. 2 and Elliott Sadler's No. 38 race teams. Adding fuel to the competition is the fact that two of the teams vying for first place, the No. 12 and No. 2 teams, are Penske Racing South teams.
"The $100,000 Checkers/Rally's grand prize offers a great incentive for our teams to keep improving their pit times throughout the season," said Penske Racing South President Don Miller. "To be known as the fastest NASCAR pit crew for an entire season is quite an honor."
As the Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR(R), Checkers/Rally's recognizes the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team with the best pit road performance each week with a $10,000 prize. At the end of the season, Checkers/Rally's will award the $100,000 grand prize to the team that garners the most Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge wins throughout the race season.
"Our Company and our franchisees have truly embraced our NASCAR relationship, and the contingency program is one of our most valuable assets," said Rich Turer, Vice-President of Marketing for Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. . "We are excited to sponsor the program and watch the competition heat up so early in the year."
The teams leading the race for the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge grand prize are:
1. Ryan Newman, #12 ALLTEL(R) Team, 4 wins
2. Elliott Sadler, #38 M&M's(R) Team, 3 wins
Rusty Wallace, #2 Miller Lite(R) Team, 3 wins
3. Tony Stewart, #20 Home Depot(R) Team, 2 wins
4. Jeff Gordon, #24 DuPont(R) Team, 1 win
Kevin Harvick, #29 GM Goodwrench(R) Team, 1 win
Kyle Busch, #5 Kellogg's(R) Team, 1 win
Brian Vickers, #25 GMAC(R)/ditech.com(R) Team, 1 win
Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge offers one of the richest weekly contingency awards in NASCAR. The Double Drive-Thru Challenge focuses on the team element of the race that is integral to successful performances each week.
Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge takes place at all 36 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point races. To win, teams must finish on the lead lap while spending the least amount of time in pit lane.
For all the details on the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge, log on to http://www.checkers.com/nascar/index.html .
The multi-year NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation sponsorships are contracted through Checkers/Rally's NPF, Inc.
About Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc.
Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. ( http://www.checkers.com/ ) is the largest double drive-thru restaurant chain in the United States. The Company develops, produces, owns, operates and franchises quick service "double drive- thru" restaurants. In 2005, Checkers/Rally's signed an agreement to become the Official Drive-Thru Restaurant and Official Burger of NASCAR. The double drive-thru chain is also the Official Drive-Thru Restaurant and Official Burger of several International Speedway Corporation facilities, including Daytona International Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has a broad reach with 1,800 racing events in 36 states (as well as Canada and Mexico) at more than 110 tracks. Among major professional sports, NASCAR ranks number one in corporate involvement and per-event attendance, and number two in network television viewership with NASCAR sanctioned racing being broadcast in over 150 countries. The sanctioning body for stock car racing is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in Charlotte, Concord, NC, Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City and Toronto.
Except for historical information, this announcement contains "forward- looking" and "Safe Harbor" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
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