Date Changed for Ernie Irvan's L.A.P.S. Walk Event at Michigan International Speedway in August

BROOKLYN, Mich., July 19 -- The date for NASCAR legend Ernie Irvan's second annual L.A.P.S. Walk event at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) has been changed from Wednesday, August 16th to Thursday, August 17, 2006. Irvan and the Brain Injury Association of America have chosen to change the date of the walk to better accommodate the schedules of the NASCAR drivers who want to walk alongside Irvan in this event.

All current participant accounts and funds raised thus far will be applied towards the new Thursday date. If a participant cannot attend due to the date change, that person can either choose to contribute their funds to Ernie's cause by leaving the funds in their account, or they can choose to be refunded in full by sending an email to info@lapswalk.org .

"I am truly appreciative of the support my colleagues have shown, and I hope all the fans who signed up for Wednesday can now join us on Thursday," said Irvan. "Many current and former drivers joined me last year here at MIS, and many more that I've talked to are committed to helping me in my cause going forward. With one person every 23 seconds suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in the United States, this support will go a long way in fighting this epidemic."

For a minimum $100 donation -- or $250 per family -- fans can obtain autographs from and walk with Ernie and his NASCAR driver colleagues around the MIS track. Registration for L.A.P.S. Walk is available online at http://www.lapswalk.org/ or by calling 1-800-772-4323 until 11:00 p.m. EDT Monday, August 14th, 2006. On-site registration will take place at MIS on Thursday, August 17th, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with the actual walk scheduled to start at noon.

Created through a partnership between the Brain Injury Association of America and Irvan's Race2Safety Foundation, L.A.P.S. Walk seeks to raise needed funds for Traumatic Brain Injury awareness and prevention. Irvan suffered two such injuries at MIS during his racing career, the first of which nearly ended his life in 1994. Irvan triumphantly returned to the NASCAR circuit and won at MIS in 1997, but two years later -- exactly five years to the day after his 1994 crash -- he sustained a second TBI in another crash at MIS, which prompted his early retirement. These life-changing experiences inspired him to move forward as an advocate for the prevention of the silent and growing epidemic of Traumatic Brain Injury, which affects approximately 5.3 million people in America. For more information on L.A.P.S. Walk, Race2Safety, or the Brain Injury Association of America, please visit http://www.lapswalk.org/ .