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CarsDirect.com Names First ''Drive Like the King'' Winner

26 April 2000

CarsDirect.com Names First ''Drive Like the King'' Winner in NASCAR Promotion; Inaugural Winner Gets Trip to Las Vegas for Richard Petty Driving Experience, Chance to Win Stock Car

    LOS ANGELES--April 26, 2000--The "Winner's Circle" is a bit crowded today as S. Pharr revels in his First Prize victory in the CarsDirect.com "Drive Like the King" sweepstakes -- while leading automotive e-tailer CarsDirect.com celebrates the rousing success of the first month of its online sweepstakes, which to date has attracted more than 45,000 participants.
    S. Pharr of Elkin, Ill., is the first of 15 First Prize winners to be selected over the course of the sweepstakes, which will extend throughout the NASCAR racing season. First Prize winners receive an expenses-paid trip to attend the Richard Petty Driving Experience in Las Vegas, where they will meet the legendary Richard Petty and drive the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of this year's CarsDirect.com 400 Winston Cup race. In addition, each of the first place winners is eligible to win the grand prize -- a genuine Richard Petty Driving Experience stock car, presented by the seven-time Winston Cup Champion himself.
    CarsDirect.com's "Drive Like the King" Sweepstakes is the first in a series of innovative, Web site-driven promotions developed as part of the company's ongoing commitment to car enthusiasts everywhere. Since the sweepstakes' launch on March 5, more than 45,000 visitors have registered to win via the CarsDirect.com Web site. More than 5,000 of these registered visitors referred an average of four friends each to enter the sweepstakes. In all, the promotion has generated nearly 186,000 individual page views of the CarsDirect.com Web site.
    "This is a great day for our first `Drive like the King' sweepstakes winner and for CarsDirect.com," said Chuck Hoover, vice president of marketing, CarsDirect.com. "We're delighted to be able to give the first winner a chance to learn stock car racing and get tips from the great Richard Petty. Sweepstakes participants are passionate about this sport and genuinely value the opportunity to bring the NASCAR experience home."
    "Although this promotion is still young, it's already been an outstanding traffic generator for CarsDirect.com," Hoover continued. "We're attracting true car enthusiasts who are spreading the news about the chance to win to all their friends. With CarsDirect.com, the process of getting a new car is more enjoyable, and we're doing what we can to enable one lucky race fan to have a `new car experience' like no other."

    Enabling Race Fans to "Drive Like the King"

    In the CarsDirect.com's "Drive Like the King" Sweepstakes, one Grand Prize winner will receive a Richard Petty Driving Experience stock car, and 15 First Prize winners have the chance to drive a stock car after receiving tips and helpful hints from the legendary seven-time Winston Cup Champion himself, Richard Petty.
    To enter the "Drive Like the King" Sweepstakes, entrants simply need to log onto the CarsDirect.com Web site at http://www.carsdirect.com and click on the CarsDirect.com 400 logo. After they fill out the online registration form (no purchase is necessary), participants will receive one entry in the Sweepstakes. They also will earn two additional entries for each friend they refer who completes registration in the Sweepstakes. Participants have until Oct. 31, 2000, to accrue a total of up to 22 entries to "Drive Like The King."
    CarsDirect.com will randomly choose one First Prize winner at the end of each month during the 2000 NASCAR season, except the final week when seven winners will be chosen -- in honor of the number of Winston Cup Championships Richard Petty won during his celebrated career.
    The 15 First Prize winners will receive an expenses-paid trip to attend the Richard Petty Driving Experience School in Las Vegas. There they will meet the legendary Richard Petty himself and drive the same Las Vegas Motor Speedway track that hosts the CarsDirect.com 400. At the end of the driving experience, one lucky winner will walk away with the Grand Prize -- a genuine Richard Petty Driving Experience stock car.

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