KROGER ADDS MEMPHIS TITLE TO NASCAR PORTFOLIO

MEMPHIS, TN August 27, 2008 – Kroger is taking the driver’s seat as the new title sponsor of the fall NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park on Oct. 25. The race will officially be entitled the “Kroger On Track for the Cure 250 presented by the Southern Dodge Dealers.”

In addition to the title sponsorship, Kroger returns as the Official Grocery and Pharmacy Retailer of Memphis Motorsports Park.

Kroger's Delta Division, based in Memphis, currently operates 110 stores and 52 fuel centers in five states under the Kroger banner in West Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Southern Missouri and Southwest Kentucky.

In addition to the Memphis race this fall, Kroger’s involvement in NASCAR also includes title sponsorship of the Kroger 200 Nationwide Series race at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind., in July; and two Craftsman Truck Series entitlements in Martinsville, Va. – the Kroger 250 in March, and the Kroger 200 in October. Earlier this season, the company also hosted the largest retail promotion ever by NASCAR, with more than 50 consumer packaged goods partners promoting the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 500 in Kroger stores across the country.

“Kroger’s Delta Division is excited to partner with Memphis Motorsports Park to reach both a local and national audience with our continued commitment to educate the women in the communities we serve about early detection of breast cancer and treatment,” said Joe Bell, Marketing and Public Affairs Manager for the Delta Division. "Kroger also understands and appreciates the incredible brand loyalty of NASCAR fans. We admire their passionate commitment to the nation's number-one spectator sport, and are proud to be able to support NASCAR in Memphis."

Kroger is also a major sponsor of local Susan G. Komen Race for the CureŽ events. The Race for the Cure series is the world’s largest and most successful education and fundraising event for breast cancer. As an important component of this new partnership, Affiliate chapters of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Memphis, Jackson, Miss., and Little Rock, Ark., will be direct recipients of awareness and fundraising initiatives between Kroger and Memphis Motorsports Park that culminate in October – National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Throughout the month of October, a portion of all race ticket sales will support local breast cancer community health programs, and consumers can once again join in the fight to eradicate breast cancer by contributing to Kroger’s National Giving Hope a Hand campaign.

"We feel extremely fortunate that Kroger has selected Memphis to title sponsor our Nationwide Series race," said Memphis Motorsports Park Vice President and General Manager Jason Rittenberry. "We have a great history with the Kroger Co., and are honored to help them celebrate their 125th anniversary with this new partnership and marquee event.”

This October also marks the 10th anniversary of the NASCAR Nationwide Series in Memphis. Past champions include Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr., both of whom took the checkered flag here in their respective championship seasons. Memphis Motorsports Park has also been a proving ground for up-and-coming drivers and those transitioning from the open-wheel ranks. Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti made their much-publicized national series debuts in the Bluff City, as have Carl Edwards and Jamie McMurray, relative unknowns at the time. Other NASCAR notables to compete on this track have included Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmy Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Bill Elliott, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch.

Since 2005, the winner of this race has been awarded the coveted ‘Elvis’ trophy – 60 pounds of cast bronze that replicates the statue of the King that stands on Beale Street, the only statue ever officially commissioned by Elvis Presley Enterprises.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series “Kroger On Track for the Cure 250 presented by the Southern Dodge Dealers” will take the green flag in Memphis on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Tickets are on sale now at 1-866-40-SPEED and online at MemphisMotorsportsPark.com.