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IRL: MCI WorldCom to Sponsor Phoenix Event

4 February 1999

INDIANAPOLIS -- MCI WorldCom announced that it will be the title sponsor of the Pep Boys Indy Racing League race March 28 at Phoenix International Raceway.

The MCI WorldCom 200 marks the first title sponsorship of a Pep Boys Indy Racing League event by the global telecommunications giant, which also is an official league sponsor.

"We are excited to be the title sponsor of the MCI WorldCom 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, a track that has a long tradition of bringing great racing to all of our customers," said Jim Freudenberg, general manager of MCI WorldCom's racing program. "This sponsorship complements MCI WorldCom's new promotional partnership with the Pep Boys Indy Racing League.

"It is true that, like auto racing, the telecommunications industry is highly competitive, and MCI WorldCom looks for sponsorships that give us the leading edge in building new business relationships while creating positive brand awareness."

MCI WorldCom is deepening its involvement with the Pep Boys Indy Racing League through this sponsorship. The company is the Official Long Distance and Local Service Provider of the Indy Racing League, and it also is a sponsor on the Kelley Racing cars driven by league standouts Scott Sharp and Mark Dismore. MCI WorldCom is the primary sponsor of Dismore's Dallara/Aurora/Goodyear.

"MCI has quickly become one of the Pep Boys Indy Racing League's most active and premier sponsors," said John Newcomb, Indianapolis Motor Speedway vice president of sales and marketing. "MCI is successfully using their sponsorship to promote their business, and we are extremely happy to have them as a partner."

The MCI WorldCom 200 starts at 2 p.m. (MST) March 28 and will be televised on Fox Sports Net.

"It's great to have my sponsor, MCI WorldCom, get involved with the Phoenix race, and we hope to win come March 28," Dismore said. "Last year Scott (Sharp) won the race for our team, and maybe this year it's my turn," Dismore said. "I love racing at Phoenix because it's so quick."

MCI WorldCom Sport Marketing is a group within MCI WorldCom that spearheads all of the company's sport initiatives including its auto racing sponsorships in the Indy Racing League, NASCAR, CART, Indy Lights, Atlantics and HSR series. MCI WorldCom also serves as a co-primary sponsor of the Arciero-Wells/Toyota Off-Road Truck team and as an associate sponsor of the Stewart Grand Prix Formula One team. For more information about MCI WorldCom's auto racing sponsorships, visit www.mciracing.com.

MCI WorldCom is a global telecommunications company with revenue of more than $30 billion and established operations in over 65 countries encompassing the Americas, Europe and the local, long distance, international and Internet services. MCI WorldCom's global networks provide end-to-end high-capacity connectivity to more than 35,000 buildings worldwide. For more information on MCI WorldCom, visit the World Wide Web at http://www.mciworldcom.com or http://www.wcom.com.