Best Western Renews Partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing for Seventh NASCAR Season

PHOENIX--Best Western International, the World’s Largest Hotel Chain®, has extended its partnership with one of NASCAR’s most popular teams, Michael Waltrip Racing, for the 2010 NASCAR season, the hotel chain announced today.

Best Western has been a loyal sponsor of the two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and his team for the past six seasons. The hotel chain will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 00 Toyota Camry driven by the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 winner David Reutimann for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race to be held at the Phoenix International Raceway on April 10, 2010. Best Western will also serve as an associate sponsor of the No. 00 for the remainder of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

“Best Western is one of the most dynamic and creative sponsors, and we’ve experienced incredible success together over the past six seasons,” said Michael Waltrip. “We know that when we start our engines that Best Western hotel owners and fans will be cheering both David and me on during the 2010 NASCAR season.”

“Michael and David have been wonderful ambassadors for Best Western on and off the track, and continue to serve as an ideal fit for our brand. Both drivers have loyal fans, much like our hotel chain,” said Dorothy Dowling, Best Western’s senior vice president of marketing and sales. “This renewed partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing continues Best Western’s support of racing, and our quest to help race fans save on hotel rooms.”

“Racing from dirt track to dirt track across the years, I spent a lot of nights in Best Western hotels across the country,” said David Reutimann. “So I know personally the kind of amazing service and great value Best Western offers. Now when I stay at Best Western, I get my own king bed, so I feel like I’ve made some progress. I am just so thankful that Best Western sees the value in our partnership and has decided to continue to support Michael Waltrip Racing.”

The only hotel loyalty program for racing fans, Best Western’s Speed Rewards is one of the most generous rewards programs, and one of few that is truly international. With more than 4,000 locations in 80 countries, racing fans will find it easy to earn points that can be redeemed for global free room nights with no blackout dates, dining, shopping and entertainment gift cards, gas cards, airline miles and more. Program members can book their award nights and purchase travel at www.bestwestern.com.

For more information on Best Western Racing or to sign up for the Speed Rewards loyalty program, please visit www.bestwesternracing.com.

ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL

Best Western International is THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN®, providing marketing, reservations and operational support to over 4,000* independently owned and operated member hotels in 80* countries and territories worldwide. An industry pioneer since 1946, Best Western has grown into an iconic brand that hosts 400,000* worldwide guests each night. Best Western's diverse property portfolio, its greatest strength, stems from a business model designed to give owners maximum flexibility to address market-specific needs. Equally committed to the business and leisure traveler, Best Western recently embarked on a mission to lead the hotel industry in customer care. World Vision is the charity of choice for Best Western in building the world's largest family, as our hotels and staff sponsor children in need around the globe. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.bestwestern.com.

*Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate.

ABOUT MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING

Over a decade ago, Michael Waltrip established a modest family-owned NASCAR Nationwide Series team in Sherrills Ford, N.C., called Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR). In 2007 when TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) entered competition in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, Waltrip developed a strong partnership with Toyota to field three full-time Toyota Camrys at the pinnacle of the sport, while maintaining the integrity of his championship caliber Nationwide team. In the midst of building three NASCAR Sprint Cup teams from the ground floor, Waltrip commenced the construction of a 140,000 sq. ft shop in which his two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams and Nationwide Series team are housed today, along with JTG-Daugherty’s No. 47 Toyota Camry.