parts.com and M&M's(R) Chocolate Candies Set to Take NASCAR by Storm
16 February 2000
parts.com and M&M's(R) Chocolate Candies Set to Take NASCAR by Storm
SANFORD, Fla., Feb. 16 -- parts.com, Inc. (formerly Miracom
Corporation), (OTC Bulletin Board: MIRME) announced today that it has joined
NASCAR Winston Cup Racing as Associate National Sponsor of the M&M's Racing
Team No. 36 Pontiac and MB2 Motorsports. This sponsorship broadens
parts.com's national branding campaign and affords "M&M's" Brand, the number
one candy brand in the world, a racing partnership with parts.com as part of
the agreement.
Parts.com, Inc. (formerly Miracom Corporation), a leading real time
business-to-business parts exchange, in teaming with "M&M's" Brand, joins the
world's most exciting automobile racing tour, NASCAR's Winston Cup Racing.
The parts.com "M&M's"(R) agreement includes sponsorship at the upcoming
Daytona 500. As a direct result of the agreement, "M&M's"(R)
( http://www.M-Ms.com ) becomes the first major co-branding partner in the
parts.com promotion program.
As an Associate National Sponsor, the parts.com logo will appear
prominently on the "M&M's" Racing Team's No. 36 Pontiac and on the uniforms of
the driver and pit crew. This will help position the parts.com exchange as
the leading provider of online business-to-business and consumer auto parts
products to an important segment of the automotive marketplace.
The NASCAR Winston Cup season presents an excellent opportunity for the
parts.com brand to be exposed in 37 races between February 20th and November
19th, 2000. Every event will receive live broadcast coverage from CBS, ABC,
NBC, TNN or ESPN. In addition to the Network coverage of the races, each
event will be covered on syndicated "Television Magazine" and sports news
shows such as "Inside NASCAR" and "Sports Center."
"The opportunity to partner with "M&M's" Racing Team No. 36 Pontiac, in
America's fastest-growing spectator sport, is a monumental achievement for
parts.com. We recognize the importance for parts.com to make its presence
known to automotive enthusiasts around the world. The opportunity to reach
nearly 100 million racecar and sports fans through these exciting live events
is a great distinction and a key marketing opportunity. NASCAR Winston Cup
Racing and "M&M's" Racing Team No .36 Pontiac has presented parts.com with one
of the most prestigious platforms possible to gain national brand
recognition," stated Shawn Lucas, President and Co-CEO of parts.com.
Lucas continued, "The national coverage of NASCAR events has a proven
value in reaching our key demographic target audience. With an average
broadcast projection of 5,502,000 households and an average of 8,327,000
viewers, the parts.com brand is truly off to the races."
Tim Quinn, M&M/Mars National Sponsorship Director added, "We are delighted
to have parts.com join the M&M's Racing Team and look forward to a winning
season. We understand the need of getting parts fast and getting them right.
Parts.com and the "M&M's" Racing Team with Ken Schrader are an unbeatable
combination."
The 1999 gross cable audiences totaled 76,925,000 viewers (point, non-
point), and gross network audiences totaled 61,802,000 viewers (point, non-
point). The association expects an even higher draw for NASCAR Winston Cup
Racing.
The parts.com associate sponsorship of the "M&M's" Racing Team No. 36
Pontiac brings the company together with one of NASCAR's most venerated racing
drivers, Ken Schrader. During his uninterrupted 16-year career, Schrader has
earned nearly $20 million in winnings. Schrader is typically ranked in the
top twenty of U.S. NASCAR drivers. Ken Schrader's signature features are his
consistency and dependability. These features are consistent with two
important qualities of the parts.com brand, making the association a perfect
match. Mr. Schrader has 453 consecutive starts in the past 15 years and has
never missed qualifying for a race. In addition to a new team, the year 2000
also brings Ken Schrader a new sponsor and a new relationship with the Pontiac
division of General Motors.
About parts.com
parts.com provides a business-to-business e-commerce solution for the $600
billion worldwide auto parts industry. The parts.com site creates value for
all participants throughout the supply chain, including manufacturers,
distributors and parts buyers. This value is a direct result of the unique
parts.com "just in time" business model, which eliminates a number of
inefficient links in the supply chain inherent in the auto parts business. The
proprietary parts.com technology and logistics plan enables parts suppliers to
deliver their product more quickly and cost-effectively than through
traditional channels of distribution. parts.com was officially launched on
January 23, 2000 at the National Automobile Dealers Association's (NADA)
annual conference in Orlando, Fla.
MB2 Motorsports, owned by Read Morton, Nelson Bowers and Tom Beard, was
formed in 1996 and entered the Winston Cup arena in 1997. The team's primary
sponsor is "M&M's"(R) Chocolate Candies with associate sponsorship from
Call-N-Carry.
"M&M's"(R) Chocolate Candies is the number one confectionery brand in the
world. "M&M's"(R) is a registered trademark of Mars, Incorporated. M&M/MARS,
a division of Mars, Incorporated, manufactures and distributes a wide variety
of high quality snack foods.
(This news release includes statements that may constitute forward-looking
statements pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although parts.com, Inc. believes the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on
reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be
met. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
parts.com's expectations include the operational performance of parts.com, the
Company's success in entering into strategic alliances, parts.com's and
ReallyKnow.com's operational and financial performance, industry conditions,
demand for its products, and other risks.)