NHRA President Tom Compton to Speak at February MPG Luncheon

National Hot Rod Association Second Most Popular Motor Sport in U.S.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 -- The Motor Press Guild (MPG), America's largest professional automotive media association, will feature NHRA president, Tom Compton at its February 6 meeting. Compton will give an overview of NHRA's position in motorsports, as the world's largest sanctioning organization and its recent rise in popularity to the No. 2 most popular motorsport in the U.S. behind NASCAR (in terms of TV ratings, event attendance and sponsor relationships). With 80,000 members and 35,000 licensed competitors, NHRA is a thriving leader in the world of motorsports.

The vision of NHRA, originally founded by Wally Parks in 1951, has been primarily safety and keeping hot rodders off of public roads. Compton will share how he, as only the third president in NHRA history, continues to keep the Wally Parks tradition and vision alive through racing and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Compton was named president of NHRA in Jan. of 2000. Under his leadership, NHRA has elevated its presence within the sports industry as one of the top motorsports enterprises in the country, a position further solidified in 2005 by the multi-year extensions signed by partners Coca-Cola and ESPN. Since assuming the leadership role, Compton has changed and enhanced NHRA in the U.S.

  MPG Meeting Details:

  What:     Motor Press Guild features Tom Compton, president of the
            National Hot Rod Association
  When:     Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007
            Social -- 11:30 a.m.
            Luncheon -- Noon
  Where:    The Proud Bird Restaurant
            11022 Aviation Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045
            Phone: 310-670-3093
  Price:    Members -- $20; Non-Members and Guests -- $25; (cash or check;
            open seating/no reservations)
  Contact:  MPG:  Robyn Eckard, 949-268-3049, or press@motorpressguild.org

For more information about MPG news, upcoming events, and directions to the Proud Bird, please visit http://www.motorpressguild.org/news.

About Motor Press Guild

The Los Angeles-based Motor Press Guild (MPG) is a non-profit professional association dedicated to promoting education and information exchange within the motoring press. MPG has more than 800 global members, including staff and freelance journalists, photographers, broadcasters, public-relations representatives from vehicle manufacturers, industry suppliers, aftermarket companies, consumer groups, governmental bodies and other motoring-related firms and organizations.