Tissot Program to Recognize NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Team Effort on Pit Road

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. February 11, 2009: The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season will once again have a competition that recognizes the pit crew/driver team effort on pit road through a contingency special award sponsored by Tissot, the official watch and timekeeper of NASCAR.

The competition, known as the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award, will reward teams on a weekly basis along with a season-end bonus to the championship team that wins the most per-event awards throughout the season.

The Tissot Pit Road Precision Award will be presented to the driver on behalf of the team which spends the least amount of time on pit road and finishes on the lead lap in each of the 36 Sprint Cup point races.

The winning team will earn $5,000 and a Tissot watch for each race. The payout for the season-championship team will be $100,000 and a Tissot watch for the driver and members of the over-the-wall pit crew.

"The world of motorsports and the world of watchmaking champion the same values, which include cutting edge design, precision and innovation," said Sharon Buntain, president, Tissot U.S. "Tissot has been recognized as an innovator in the watch world since 1853. We are in admiration of the teamwork that goes into a NASCAR performance and this award is a symbolic way for Tissot to reward NASCAR teams for their precision and timely performances. We are thrilled to begin working with the teams after being an official partner of NASCAR for three years and look forward to strengthening our relationships within the garage."

Jim O'Connell, vice president of corporate marketing for NASCAR, was equally enthusiastic about the program, "Tissot's rich history in motorsports and its world-renowned reputation for precise time keeping fits the goal of the Pit Road Precision Award -- getting your driver on and off pit road as fast as possible. Tissot has been involved in many aspects of NASCAR, and the company's support of this new contingency award again demonstrates a strong passion for and support of our sport."

Tissot has been an official partner of NASCAR since 2006 and is the official timekeeper for a number of other sports, including the MotoGP World Championship, the Ice Hockey World Championship, the Cycling World Championship and the Fencing World Championship.