ppc Racing Partners with Drive for Diversity Program in Mexico
(MOORESVILLE, N.C.) March 2, 2006 - Hispanic driver, Michel Jourdain Jr. may not have a long history with the seven men and women that will go over the wall in Sunday's NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) race in Mexico City, Mexico. The team he drives for, ppc Racing, has partnered with NASCAR's Drive for DiversityR (D4D) program to pit the No. 15 Roshfrans Ford Fusion on Sunday, March 5th at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. This is the first time ppc Racing, the 2000 NBS championship team, has partnered with the program. "We are very pleased to partner with the Drive for DiversityR program," said Greg Pollex, owner of ppc Racing. "The team is an ethnic and gender diverse group of people, fully capable of giving Michel the competitive edge to win in his home country. We've selected Todd Gordon, a long-time and devoted employee of ppc Racing, as the team's crew chief. Todd and Michel have worked together and established great communication together, and with Michel's experience running on the road course, we really feel like a win is possible." Those participating with ppc Racing and the Drive for DiversityR program are as follows: Nicole Addison - front tire changer; is the only female over-the-wall crew member in NASCAR's top-three series; currently the rear tire changer on ppc Racing's No. 10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race team; a 2004 D4D participant Emmanuel McDaniel - front tire carrier; current D4D participant John Boyd - rear tire carrier; current D4D participant Todd Gordon (crew chief), Eric Duncan (rear tire changer), Scott Simpson (gas man), Lee Kinsey (jack man), Sean Ramos (catch can), Steve Plattenberger (car chief), Bryant Noggle (scorer), Jose Antonio Tame (spotter) a Mexico City, Mexico native, and Adrienne (Daisy) Zonneville, the only female engine tuner in the NBS, make up the rest of the No. 15 Roshfrans Ford Fusion race team. In addition, ppc Racing will feature one crew member from the D4D program every day leading up to the race through its Web site, www.ppcracing.com <http://www.ppcracing.com/> . "We are really excited about this great occasion for Nicole, Emmanuel, and John. Our program is designed to offer opportunities for our participants in NASCAR and this partnership with ppc Racing is an example of the support we have gained for our talented participants," said Bryan Kryder, Program Director of the Drive for DiversityR program. "They have an experienced driver/crew chief combination, coupled with an able team going over the wall; ppc Racing is going to Mexico City to race for a win. We wish them the best." About ppc Racing LLC and Greg Pollex . . . ppc Racing marks its seventh year of competition in 2006 under ownership from Greg Pollex. His NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck Series teams have amassed 32 wins and more than 150 top-five and 250 top-10 finishes. In its inaugural year, ppc Racing won the 2000 NASCAR Busch Series driver and owner's championship, finishing 1-2 in the standings. Over the years Pollex has hired recognizable and successful drivers: Jeff Green, Jason Keller, Scott Riggs, Kenny Wallace, John Andretti, Michel Jourdain Jr. and Terry Cook. For sponsorship information, contact Andy O'Hara at aohara@ppcracing.com. For more information, please visit www.ppcracing.com. About Drive for DiversityR . . . Drive for DiversityR is an ethnic and gender minority driver and crew member development program created and managed by Access Marketing & Communications, a Charlotte-based multicultural marketing firm founded in 2003 by The Radiate Group and Calhoun Enterprises. In 2006, the program will support eight drivers in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series and 12 crew members in the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Drive for DiversityR is an initial step in a long-term solution to diversify NASCAR's participant and audience base. For more information, please visit www.drivefordiversity.com <http://www.drivefordiversity.com/> . About Roshfrans . . . Roshfrans is a 100 percent Mexican-based company. Roshfrans currently occupies fourth place in the Mexican lubricant market, with nine percent of the total share. They are mainly recognized by their high quality grease with outstanding performance as well as commercialized brake fluids, antifreeze and other automotive products. Their international commerce mainly is with Latin America in Colombia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador, among others including Central America. Their support to racing has been emphasized recently (the last three years), sponsoring the Mustang championship with the well renowned Roshfrans Cup and last year presented the Desafio Corona Championship (Mexican Stock Cars). Internationally, Roshfrans has sponsored several Mexican drivers, including Mario Dominguez, David Martinez and Michel Jourdain Jr. Last year they sponsored Nos. 40 and 72 cars in the NASCAR Busch Series race in Mexico City with drivers Carlos Contreras and Ruben Garcia. For more information, please visit www.roshfrans.com <http://www.roshfrans.com/> .