Zachary Levi Earns Pole Position in Qualifying for the 2010 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race

PEOPLE MAGAZINE GIVES $15,000 POLE AWARD TO LEVI'S CHARITY CHOICE

LONG BEACH, Calif., April 16 -- Zachary Levi posted the fastest time of all celebrities to earn the pole position in the 34th-annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. Levi, the star of the NBC sitcom "Chuck," narrowly beat actors Adrien Brody and Brian Austin Green in the qualifying race. Levi will lead the pack tomorrow in what has become the world's longest-running, most successful celebrity racing event. CART Champion Jimmy Vasser finished first among all drivers and won in the Pro category, followed closely by Formula Drift Champion Tanner Foust.

"Zachary put on quite a display this afternoon," said Les Unger, national motorsports manager with Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. "The hard work and determination he displayed throughout our training sessions paid off. The commitment and enthusiasm of all the drivers competing in this event demonstrates exactly what the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is all about."

"I did it!" said an exuberant Levi at a news conference after the qualifying session. "This is a great race, with a terrific group of people, that benefits an amazing cause. I can't describe how pumped I am for tomorrow's race."

Professional handicapper Anthony Curtis tapped Levi to come in a close second in the field of celebrity drivers. Curtis has been studying and handicapping the drivers throughout March and April. He offers his insights solely for entertainment purposes on www.lasvegasadvisor.com. (There will be no actual wagering on the outcome of the race.)

As pole-position winner in the qualifying session, Levi designated his $15,000 donation in conjunction with the 13th-annual People Pole Award to the charity Operation Smile, which works to transform the lives of children who suffer from cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.

Furthermore, Toyota will donate $5,000 to Racing for Kids in the name of each celebrity racer and an additional $5,000 to the winning racer's charity of choice. Racing for Kids is a national nonprofit program benefiting children's hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County, Calif. Toyota has donated $1.8 million on behalf of the race and its participants to various children's hospitals since 1991.

  Saturday's race starts at 11:50 a.m. PDT.

  FINAL QUALIFYING RESULTS

  Pos    Class              Name                     Lap Time
  1      Pro                Jimmy Vasser             1:45.666
  2      Pro                Tanner Foust             1:46.061
  3      Pro                Steve Millen             1:46.765
  4      Pro                Marty Nothstein          1:47.078
  5      Celebrity          Zachary Levi             1:47.141
  6      Pro                Keanu Reeves             1:47.913
  7      Pro                Jamie Bestwick           1:48.015
  8      Celebrity          Adrien Brody             1:48.059
  9      Celebrity          Brian Austin Green       1:48.757
  10     Celebrity          Adam Carolla             1:48.946
  11     Celebrity          Jesse McCartney          1:49.185
  12     Auction Winner     Jerry Westlund           1:50.140
  13     Celebrity          Tony Hawk                1:50.291
  14     Toyota Dealer      Chris Ashworth           1:50.463
  15     Celebrity          Patrick Warburton        1:50.813
  16     Auction Winner     Dave Pasant              1:51.095
  17     Celebrity          Christian Slater         1:51.770
  18     Celebrity          Megyn Price              1:52.130
  19     Celebrity          Tika Sumpter             1:57.663

  Contacts:
  Kaymi Malave
  212-367-6810
  kaymi.malave@eurorscg.com

  Sharon Noot
  714-527-7735
  sharon@nootinc.com

  Kym Strong
  310-874-2513
  kym_strong@toyota.com