POMONA, Calif. – There’s a new smell of success at John Force Racing, Inc., and it comes in a familiar package.

Procter & Gamble, Inc., through its Old Spice brand, was introduced Saturday during the 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway as the newest major sponsor of drag racing’s most successful Funny Car team.

During the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, the Old Spice “buoy bottle” will adorn the sides of the 320 mile-an-hour Old Spice Ford Mustang driven by rookie driver Mike Neff. With 70 years as an American icon, Old Spice is the authority on male grooming and embodies the core values that resonate with today’s guy.

In addition to Neff’s car, Old Spice identification also will appear on the Ford Mustangs of John Force, Ashley Force and Robert Hight.

Old Spice has a deep heritage and a long-term history being the voice of experience for today’s guy. The brand has leveraged its iconic status to be the No.1-selling deodorant/antiperspirant and body wash brand among today’s guy, helping generations of men with their grooming needs. Old Spice delivers a variety of products that are relevant and essential to guys of all ages, including anit-perspirants, deodorants, body washes, body sprays, after shaves and colognes.

Old Spice is the sponsor of NASCAR champion Tony Stewart’s Nationwide Series team.

Led by John Force, the only drag racing driver to have won more than 100 NHRA tour events (125), JFR has dominated Funny Car racing since 1989. Over the last 19 seasons, the team has won 15 championships and five drivers have contributed to the team’s record 174 tour victories.

“It’s exciting to be able to pair an icon of personal grooming like Old Spice with drag racing’s biggest icon, John Force,” said Carl Stealey, Old Spice marketing director for at P&G.

“I’ve used Old Spice all my life; my dad, then me,” Force said. “So this is a big moment for me and for John Force Racing. We try to align ourselves with mainstream companies that share our values and goals and Procter and Gamble with the Old Spice brand is a perfect fit. We’re really excited that they’ve come on board to work with Castrol, the Auto Club, Ford, BrandSource, Mac Tools, Sanyo and our other major sponsors.”

Neff, 40, is a perfect choice to be drag racing’s Old Spice man. Growing up in the desert outside Riverside, Calif., Neff raced motocross and off-road trucks and was involved in virtually every manner of outdoor activity. He gravitated to drag racing in the early 1990s as a mechanic and in 2002, was promoted to crew chief at Don Schumacher Racing where he won the 2005 NHRA POWERade championship with driver Gary Scelzi.

He was hired at JFR last fall to pair with veteran crew chief John Medlen on a fourth Ford Mustang, the car in which the late Eric Medlen began the 2007 season.

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It was a day of firsts for Top Alcohol Dragster driver Courtney Force and fellow rookie John Force Racing teammate Mike Neff continued to dominate at the 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Rookie of the Year candidate Neff accelerated his learning curve on the track with the best run of all four John Force Racing Ford Mustangs, a blistering 4.840 second pass at 317.64 mph in his Old Spice Ford Mustang. With each pass his confidence continues to grow and maintaining his spot at the top of the field helps.

“It gives us a lot of confidence. It is important to me. I need all the runs down the track that I can get,” said the former motocross and off-road truck competitor, Neff. “Also we have the new Ford motor, the new chassis, and all the new stuff so we are learning something every time we go down the track. It is very important to continue to improve and I feel very encouraged with how we have been doing.

Neff also credited his two days of success to the jelling of his young team under the leadership of crew chief John Medlen.

“(John) Medlen is doing a great job on his end with the tune up and the guys on this Old Spice team are doing a great job. As long as I can keep it between the lines we’ll keep looking pretty good,” added the Hemet, California native.

Career marks continued to fall for Courtney Force, daughter of 14-time Funny Car champion John Force, as she powered her A Fuel dragster to a career best E.T. and mph (5.506, 261.32) during the first qualifying session today.

That time was quick enough to hold onto the 14th qualifying spot heading into tomorrow’s first round of sportsman eliminations. Her success even surprised the former high school cheerleader.

“I’m shocked. My dad (Funny Car Champion John Force) drilled into my head to just go out there and get a few runs in. He told me not to treat it like a national event. He wanted to make me feel more comfortable,” said the first year TAD driver.

The impact of her early success is not lost on the youngest Force daughter.

“(Qualifying for a) national race is a pretty big deal and I am pretty surprised. I’m getting more comfortable in the car and it makes me feel al lot better. I am getting more used to racing against other people and just getting more practice. I am still learning,” gushed an excited Force after her final session.

Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang driver Robert Hight continued to struggle on the famed quarter mile track. A finalist at the Winternationals in 2007 Hight and his crew chief Jimmy Prock are still searching for the right combination.

“Our Mustang was just too fast, the clutch came on too hard and it over powered the track. We haven’t got it yet but we will. This Ford Mustang can still go to the top of the field tomorrow. If this car goes it ought to run 75 or 76. The car is right there,” said a confident Hight.

* * * *

THE DRIVERS
ROBERT HIGHT, 38, Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang
Friday Qualifying: Has the 21st quickest qualifying time of 7.439 seconds, 114.07 mph.
Quotable: “We haven’t got it yet but we will. Baby steps with the tune up might not get you there and going too much will give you shake. We have to get it right and we will. This Ford Mustang can still go to the top of the field tomorrow. If this car goes it ought to run 4.75 or 4.76. The car is right there.” – ROBERT HIGHT

MIKE NEFF, 40, Old Spice Ford Mustang
Friday Qualifying: 4th at 4.840 seconds, 317.64 mph.
Quotable: “It gives us a lot of confidence. It is important to me. I need all the runs down the track that I can get. Also we have the new Ford motor, the new chassis, and all the new stuff so we are learning something every time we go down the track. It is very important to continue to improve and I feel very encouraged with how we have been doing.” – MIKE NEFF

COURTNEY FORCE, 19, John Force Racing A Fuel Dragster
Qualifying position and performance: 14th at 5.506 seconds, 261.32 mph.
Quotable: “A national event is a pretty big deal. I am pretty surprised I qualified and I am sure my dad is too. I’m getting more comfortable in the car and it makes me feel al lot better. I am getting more used to racing against other people and just getting more practice." – COURTNEY FORCE

POMONA, Calif. - After months of preparation and weeks of testing runs
former Pro Stock motorcycle rider Antron Brown made his Top Fuel debut
with a huge smile on his face, and raced to the qualifying lead Friday
at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at
Pomona.

Scott Kalitta and Greg Anderson remained the qualifying leaders in their
respective categories at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event, the
first of 24 events in the 2008 season.

Brown, who earned 16 victories in nearly a decade of racing on two
wheels, powered his Matco Tools dragster to the best run of his early
Top Fuel career, posting a performance of 4.495 seconds at 330.07 mph.

"Everyone keeps asking me the same questions: 'How's the transition?
How's it going to go? What do you really expect to do," Brown said.
"When I came here I just wanted to qualify in the top-half of the field
because our team is very capable of that. I'm just trying to do the best
that I can do at being consistent and cutting good lights and this car
is just flying."

Defending world champion Tony Schumacher moved to second overall in his
U.S. Army dragster with his run of 4.513 seconds at 331.53 mph from
Thursday.

Kalitta remained the leader in Funny Car in his DHL Toyota Solara (4.818
seconds), but driver Cruz Pedregon posted the quickest run of the day
and moved from 16th to second overall, driving his Advance Auto Parts
Chevy Impala SS to a run of 4.818 at 322.65.

"That was a big pressure relief," Pedregon said. "We didn't qualify at
the finals here three or four months ago so to come out to the season
opener and qualify as well as we did is just really, really a relief
right now."

Kurt Johnson was the only driver in Pro Stock to improve his performance
from Thursday. He drove his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt to a 6.646 at 208.36 to
narrow the gap between qualifying leader Anderson's Summit Racing
Pontiac GXP.

"We took our information from yesterday and we went in that left-hand
lane," Johnson said. "It looks like that left-hand lane is probably a
couple hundredths quicker."

Saturday's two qualifying sessions are at Noon and 3 p.m.

* * *

POMONA, Calif. -- Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of
qualifying for the 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, first of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's
final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Antron Brown, 4.495 seconds, 330.07 mph; 2. Tony
Schumacher, 4.513, 331.77; 3. Morgan Lucas, 4.522, 331.04; 4. Alan
Bradshaw, 4.524, 306.40; 5. David Grubnic, 4.530, 318.62; 6. Hillary
Will, 4.534, 333.58; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 4.534, 330.31; 8. Cory
McClenathan, 4.536, 330.23; 9. Rod Fuller, 4.539, 327.51; 10. Larry
Dixon, 4.543, 324.28; 11. Doug Herbert, 4.545, 327.98; 12. J.R. Todd,
4.570, 327.74. Not Qualified: 13. Doug Kalitta, 4.647, 315.34; 14. Bob
Vandergriff, 4.678, 311.56; 15. Troy Buff, 4.708, 254.18; 16. Urs
Erbacher, 4.786, 310.05; 17. Steven Chrisman, 4.977, 258.12.

Funny Car -- 1. Scott Kalitta, Toyota Solara, 4.818, 322.65; 2. Cruz
Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.830, 321.27; 3. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger,
4.838, 322.73; 4. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 4.840, 321.65; 5. Bob Bode,
Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.841, 314.68; 6. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.845,
325.45; 7. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.845, 322.27; 8. Ashley Force,
Mustang, 4.860, 278.75; 9. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.864, 295.72; 10.
Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.866, 315.93; 11. Jim Head, Solara, 4.883,
325.06; 12. Melanie Troxel, Dodge Dodge RT, 4.900, 316.45. Not
Qualified: 13. Del Worsham, 4.967, 317.79; 14. Mike Ashley, 4.979,
317.57; 15. Tommy Johnson Jr., 4.994, 299.06; 16. Jerry Toliver, 5.163,
223.17; 17. Tim Wilkerson, 5.212, 240.12; 18. Bob Tasca III, 5.218,
309.34; 19. John Force, 6.391, 145.09; 20. James Day, 7.356, 117.99; 21.
Robert Hight, 7.439, 114.07; 22.Tony Bartone, 7.478, 112.42.

Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.635, 208.91; 2. Kurt
Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.646, 208.62; 3. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.651,
207.98; 4. Warren Johnson, Pontiac GTO, 6.656, 209.04; 5. Jason Line,
GTO, 6.656, 208.81; 6. Justin Humphreys, GTO, 6.660, 207.94; 7. Greg
Stanfield, GXP, 6.662, 207.85; 8. Max Naylor, Dodge Stratus, 6.671,
206.92; 9. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.674, 208.30; 10. V. Gaines,
Stratus, 6.684, 206.39; 11. Matt Hartford, Dodge Status, 6.695, 206.48;
12. Kenny Koretsky, Cobalt, 6.704, 206.32. Not Qualified: 13. Mike
Edwards, 6.706, 205.32; 14. Ron Krisher, 6.727, 206.67; 15. Vinnie
Deceglie, 6.729, 205.38; 16. Ben Watson, 6.734, 204.76; 17. Jim Yates,
6.735, 204.91; 18. Tom Hammonds, 6.742, 207.37; 19. Johnny Gray, 6.742,
205.63; 20. Bill Glidden, 6.768, 204.60; 21. Larry Morgan, 6.776,
205.13; 22. Gordie Rivera, 6.783, 204.73.

DAYTONA BEACH FL (2-8-08)—Westby, Wisconsin’s Dexter Bean was quickest during a one hour ARCA RE/MAX Series final practice session Friday afternoon in preparation for Saturday’s ARCA 200 at Daytona, circling the 2.5-mile speedway in 49.015 seconds for a speed of 183.617 mph.

“The Team Glock Chevy was really strong in practice and good in the draft,” said Bean. “We were third yesterday in practice and we went out today to make sure that the tape on the grill and everything is set up right on the car. We went out and ended up on top of the board.”

Tayler Malsam (No. 4 Dodge Motorsports-Cunningham Motorsports Dodge), Kyle Krisiloff, (No. 7 Clabber Girl Baking Powder Chevrolet), Brad Baker (No. 47 Envirox Ford) and John Wes Townley (No. 09 Zaxby’s-SPS Ford) rounded out the top-five.

The limited impound practice session, in which teams were only allowed to make certain pre-approved adjustments to their car, provided drivers a final opportunity to make laps around the 2.5-mile speedway before Saturday’s ARCA 200 at Daytona. In all, 28 drivers opted to participate in the session. Among them, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford) and Bill Baird (No. 52 Saturn Machine Dodge), who were coming up to speed during the first lap of practice when they made contact coming off of turn two, causing a 20 minute delay in on-track activity. Both teams unloaded and prepared backup cars for their drivers in less than 45 minutes time.

The ARCA 200 at Daytona is LIVE on SPEED beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern on Saturday.

DAYTONA BEACH FL (2-8-08)—ARCA RE/MAX Series veteran Justin Marks, in the No. 65 Voodoo Ride Toyota, earned the SIM Factory Pole Award at Daytona Int’l Speedway on Friday afternoon, circling the 2.5-mile speedway in 49.632 seconds for a speed of 181.334 mph in his Germain Racing prepared entry. Marks’ time was good enough to eclipse the 49.637 second lap (181.316 mph) of series rookie and former Formula One driver Scott Speed, who starts on the outside front row in the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota.

“It’s any racer’s dream to sit on the pole at Daytona,” said Marks. “The Germain Racing guys have worked so hard preparing for this event. I’m proud of all of their work and it showed today. The Voodoo Ride Camry is real good in the draft and I’m excited about what tomorrow may bring. The biggest thing for us coming down here is that we wanted to start up front; we don’t want to be deep in the pack on Saturday. It’s a bonus to sit on the pole.

“I think it’s big for the team to sit on the pole. This race and Talladega, these are races that are won by the teams. This is big for all three Germain Racing teams. For me, we came down here to try to sit on the pole, and we came down here to try and win the race. Just to try and make this transition [from full time ARCA RE/MAX Series competitor in 2007 to full time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor in 2008] as easy as possible and as smooth as possible is very much what we want.”

Speed, in the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota, will start on the outside pole on Saturday, marking his second career ARCA RE/MAX Series start. He finished seventh in his series debut at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

“I think qualifying here and at Talladega is pretty much the same,” said Speed. “This is a testament to all of the testing the team has done. Superspeedway racing is not going to be our strong point this year so to sit second is a testament for sure. ESR (Eddie Sharp Racing) has really stepped up their program.

“Red Bull has been amazing to me, I’m pretty sure I have Red Bull in my blood. It’s important for us and Red Bull to be in a competitive situation. When Red Bull and I decided we wanted to do this we took our time to decide what we wanted to do. Because these cars are so similar to the Cup car, and because this series races on so many different types of tracks, from superspeedways, to dirt tracks to short tracks, we decided this [The ARCA RE/MAX Series] was the best place for us to be right now.”

Michael Annett will start third in Saturday’s ARCA 200 at Daytona in a No. 28 Bill Davis Racing Toyota, followed by series veteran Bobby Gerhart, the defending race winner at Daytona. Max Dumarey starts fifth in the No. 94 Body Coach Ford. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Matt Carter, Landon Cassill, Dario Franchitti and Kirk Shelmerdine round out the top-ten qualifiers.

Frank Kimmel, the defending and nine-time series champion, will start 43rd in Saturday’s ARCA 200 at Daytona, utilizing a past champion’s provisional. With the starting field for the ARCA 200 at Daytona limited to 43 starting positions, 22 drivers will be going home early.

The series will hold a final practice session from 5:10-6:15 p.m. before the garage area closes. The ARCA 200 at Daytona is LIVE on SPEED beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern on Saturday.

GLENDORA, Calif. (Feb. 8, 2008) - NHRA announced today that the Youth &
Education Services (Y.E.S) Program presented by the U.S. Army is adding
these program partners for 2008: the University of Northwestern Ohio,
Valvoline, and Caterpillar (CAT).

Created in 1989 as a tool to connect education and drag racing, the
Y.E.S Program is a one day event held at 15 POWERade Series races. It
is motorsports' first and only full-time program devoted exclusively to
educational programming. The Y.E.S. Program demonstrates to young men
and women the variety of career opportunities within motorsports, the
U.S. Army and the automotive industry.

The central themes of the Y.E.S. Program are: the need for continued
education; the value of job-specific training; the relevance of
establishing clear, attainable goals; and awareness of the variety of
career options surrounding motorsports.

"The Y.E.S. Program has been an important tool for the NHRA that helps
us reach out to today's youth," said Gary Darcy, senior vice president
of sales and marketing, NHRA. "Having Valvoline, CAT and the University
of Northwestern Ohio join the current partners gives us the chance to
help those youth make choices to utilize their talents and choose a
career path that makes the most of those talents. All of this can occur
at the track against the backdrop of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing."

The three new partners are joining the U.S. Army, Wyotech, Universal
Technical Institute (UTI), GM and Mercedes Benz at all Y.E.S. events.

Since 2000, the U.S. Army has been presenting the Y.E.S. Program in
partnership with NHRA. The U.S. Army offers a variety of experiences
for NHRA fans of all ages from the Army Strong Zone interactive displays
on Nitro Alley to its marquee series of special programs offered at the
track and in the classroom focused on teaching area youth the value of
education and the importance of embodying the Army Strong
characteristics of mental, emotional and physical strength. With the
U.S. Army's involvement, NHRA is able to provide 25,000 youth around the
country the opportunity to participate in the Y.E.S. Program each year.

While attending the event, students visit the interactive midway that
includes booths set up by career- and education-focused partners. They
also attend a short panel discussion that is headlined by five-time Top
Fuel world champion U.S. Army Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher, Valvoline
Funny Car driver Jack Beckman, and CAT dragster driver Rod Fuller.
Speakers encourage students to think about how the decisions they make
today will affect their career opportunities later in life. When the
panel discussion is complete the attendees are encouraged to stay and
watch that day's racing.

Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body
for the sport of drag racing in the United States. It presents 24 events
through its NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. NHRA has 80,000 members
and 140 member tracks. The NHRA-sanctioned sportsman and bracket racing
series provide competition opportunities for drivers of all levels. The
NHRA develops the stars of tomorrow by offering the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag
Racing Series, NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Street Legal Drags
presented by AAA. NHRA also offers the O'Reilly Auto Parts Jr. Drag
Racing League for youth ages 8 to 17.

General Motors and International Academy of Design and Technology kick off 2008 GM Student Design Competition at the Chicago Auto Show

CHICAGO– Today a group of young fashion designers will take a sneak peek at General Motors’ new production vehicles and concept cars at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show as GM and the International Academy of Design and Technology (IADT) kick off their sixth year as partners in the annual GM Student Design Competition.

Themed “Couture to the People,” more than 50 IADT fashion design students will visit the GM exhibit on February 8, during the first public day of the Chicago Auto Show. As they walk the GM exhibit, located in the McCormick Place North Hall, they will begin sketching garment designs inspired by five featured GM vehicles.

The highlighted GM vehicles for 2008 include:

Chevrolet Malibu: The all-new, recently voted 2008 North American Car of the Year, represents the new face of Chevrolet while offering a stylish, uncompromising package.

HUMMER HX Concept: The vision of an agile, trail-ready, open-air vehicle that fits the lifestyles of everyone who needs or wants to drive off road

Pontiac G8 GT: Balances rear-wheel drive and V-8 power representing another step in Pontiac ’s commitment to its performance DNA

Saturn Astra: The all-new 2008 vehicle which brings a decidedly European flavor to the North American compact car market.

Saab Turbo X: Introduces innovative Saab Cross Wheel Drive (XWD) all-wheel drive technology.
“Fashion continues to inspire automotive design,” said David G. Lyon, Director of General Motors Interior Design. “The GM Student Design Competition is a great opportunity for us and I look forward to seeing the student’s fashion interpretations of some of our newest vehicle designs."

After taking away their first impressions of the vehicles from the auto show, the students will continue to sketch and produce the garments during the next two months. Five winning designs will be selected and showcased at Imagine 2008, an annual fashion show produced by IADT and sponsored by General Motors. The fashion show will take place on May 15 at Chicago’s Union Station. Each student winner will receive a $500 cash award from GM.

“Many of the same principals and trends that influence fashion design are seen in automotive design,” said Kathleen Embry, Dean, School of Design Studies for IADT. “The opportunity to collaborate with General Motors and explore design from a different perspective has been invaluable to our students.”

About General Motors
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 274,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

About IADT
Located in downtown Chicago, IADT is an accredited, four-year college that offers bachelor and associate degrees in a variety of disciplines based on a strong heritage in fashion and an expanding emphasis on high technology education.

Top-Selling Certified Brand and Largest Online Auto Marketplace Team Up to Raise Consumer Awareness, Drive Leads to GM Dealers

DETROIT – GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry’s top-selling manufacturer-certified used vehicle brand*, announced it has reached an agreement to collaborate in a variety of areas with eBay Motors (www.ebaymotors.com), the Internet's largest marketplace for buying and selling all things automotive, to support the 3,900-plus GM Certified Used Vehicles dealers in the U.S.

As a first step, GM Certified Used Vehicles commits to list their entire national inventory on eBay Motors at no cost to dealers. The agreement provides exposure of GM Certified Used Vehicles dealer inventory in a classified listings format to more than 11 million unique eBay Motors visitors a month.

Together, the two companies will develop marketing and other offerings designed to drive leads and sales to dealers. GM Certified Used Vehicles dealers will benefit from increased exposure of their vehicle inventory and branding on eBay Motors while car buyers will benefit from the wide selection and convenient online-shopping experience provided by eBay Motors.

eBay Motors is consistently ranked the No. 1 automotive Web site, with 34 percent of all automotive minutes on the Web spent on eBay Motors, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.

There are also future plans to allow dealers to opt-in to complement this new offering with additional packages and features, such as eBay Motors Local Market, a subscription-based service that enables automotive dealers to easily upload and list their entire used-car lot for one low price, increasing the impact and visibility of their specific inventory on eBay Motors. These additional options for dealers are currently scheduled to become available during the second quarter of this year.

“The eBay Motors agreement means that GM Certified dealers will have millions more eyeballs looking at their inventory, and more traffic drives sales,” said Mark Mathews, director, GM Used Vehicle Activities. “Teaming with eBay Motors provides shoppers with convenient access to all GM Certified inventory and continues GM Certified’s commitment to interactive marketing. We now offer our dealers the most comprehensive program in the industry, listing their inventory on more than 300 websites.”

“Dealers understand consumers are migrating online to find their next vehicle,” said Rob Chesney, vice president, eBay Motors, Marketplaces. “eBay Motors creates a rich shopping experience for consumers and drives more qualified leads to dealers through exposure to more than 11 million unique online-automotive shoppers a month.”



About eBay Motors
eBay Motors (www.ebaymotors.com), a part of eBay Inc., is the Internet's largest marketplace for buying and selling all things automotive. The site offers everyday cars for everyday drivers, as well as collector cars, motorcycles, auto parts and accessories. eBay Motors is consistently ranked the No. 1 automotive site on the Web by Nielsen//NetRatings.

About eBay Inc.
Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people around the world every day, empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together. eBay Inc. does this by providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce, payments and communications. Since its inception, eBay Inc. has expanded to include some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay, PayPal, Skype, Shopping.com, and others. eBay Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.

About GM Certified Used Vehicles
GM Certified Used Vehicles, the number-one selling manufacturer-certified brand*, are high-quality, reconditioned vehicles, available at participating Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac and GMC dealers. All models are six years old or newer, have 60,000 miles or less, are reconditioned to stringent GM Certified Used Vehicles standards and must undergo a rigorous 117-point inspection and reconditioning process. All GM Certified Used Vehicles are supported by a fully transferable 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty with no deductible (whichever comes first from vehicle’s original in-service date); a three-month/3,000-mile bumper-to-bumper comprehensive limited warranty extension (whichever comes first); a three-day/150-mile customer satisfaction guarantee; and 24-hour roadside assistance and courtesy transportation during the term of the powertrain warranty. See dealer for details. For more information about GM Certified Used Vehicles, visit www.gmcertified.com.

About General Motors
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 274,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

Rookie of the Year candidate Mike Neff powered his Old Spice Ford Mustang down the fabled Auto Club Raceway at Pomona today and solidly positioned the John Medlen tuned Mustang in the No. 4 spot. Neff utilized much of the experience he gathered during four days of testing in Phoenix despite never making a full quarter mile pass.

“We were really happy with that run. It felt good. We didn’t make a full pass in testing and so I was just a little nervous for the first race of the season. It was smooth and (John) Medlen did a great job of setting the car up with a solid conservative tune-up,” said the former POWERade Champion Crew Chief turned driver. “We just wanted to get down the track and continue learning. We weren’t as comfortable as we would have liked. To make it down the track on the very first run is huge and at the time we didn’t know how that time would hold up but as it turned out that run was good and we are thrilled with that.”

Teammate and former 2005 Rookie of the Year Robert Hight will continue to try and get a handle on his newly designed Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang. Under the new qualifying structure Hight is not slotted based on his qualifying run today since it was not one of the twelve quickest runs of the day. Hight still has three more opportunities to qualify for Sunday’s eliminations.

“The qualifying schedule for this race is good if you get in the first session but it isn’t if you are in the position we are in,” said the two-time POWERade Funny Car Championship runner-up Hight. ”We have all night to think about it and we have one more run tomorrow and then Saturday. We have been here before and we’ll be fine. You don’t get in a groove with one run a day.”

Both Hight and Neff are piloting Ford Mustang Funny Cars that have been structurally overhauled for the first time in 25 years. The new heavier chassis are also equipped, as are all Funny Cars and Top Fuel Dragsters, with Ford Blue Boxes to further enhance the new safety initiatives that the NHRA, John Force Racing and Ford Motor Company are implementing.

“There is nothing wrong with this Ford Mustang. It drives nice and you have a lot of room. They also react to steering input really well. We are going off of all the information we got at testing in Phoenix which was a lot different than here. We have to regroup and we are going to run the car closer to the set-up from last year. It was really just too fast today,” said Hight.

Also today Courtney Force, 14-time Funny Car Champion John Force’s youngest daughter, made her first competitive quarter mile pass in the Jerry Darien tuned A Fuel Dragster. She is currently qualified in the No. 11 position.

“I’m excited about tomorrow and I know I’ll feel a lot better since I got my first run out of the way especially since I was racing someone else for the first time,” said Ms. Force, the former high school cheerleader and second year student at Santiago Canyon College. “I think tomorrow I’ll be better off since I’ll feel more comfortable in the car. I shouldn’t be as nervous as I was today,”

* * * *

THE DRIVERS
ROBERT HIGHT, 38, Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang
Thursday Qualifying: Made the 19th quickest qualifying run of the day, 9.526 seconds, 84.80 mph
Quotable: “There is nothing wrong with this Ford Mustang. It drives nice. They also react to steering input really well. On that run I was going to pedal it but when I hit the throttle fuel blew all over the windshield so I decided against that since I didn’t know what was going on with the car. It wasn’t going to do me any good to pedal it.” – ROBERT HIGHT

MIKE NEFF, 40, Old Spice Ford Mustang
Thursday Qualifying: 4th at 4.850 seconds, 322.27
Quotable: “We were really happy with that run. It felt good. It was a good run, it was smooth and Medlen did a great job of setting the car up with a solid conservative tune-up. We just wanted to get down the track and continue learning. To make it down the track on the very first run is huge.” – MIKE NEFF

COURTNEY FORCE., 19, John Force Racing A Fuel Dragster
Qualifying position and performance: 11th at 5.566 seconds, 253.95
Quotable: “I’m excited about tomorrow and I know I’ll feel a lot better since I got my first run out of the way. Today I was racing someone else for the first time. I think tomorrow I’ll be better off since I’ll feel more comfortable in the car. I shouldn’t be as nervous as I was today.” – COURTNEY FORCE

POMONA, Calif. - Defending Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher raced to
the qualifying lead Thursday at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA
Winternationals at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Scott Kalitta and Greg Anderson also were qualifying leaders in their
respective categories at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event, the
first of 24 races in the 2008 season.

Schumacher picked up where he left off last season by clocking the
quickest run of the day in his class -- a 4.513 second effort at 331.53
mph in his U.S. Army dragster.

"That was a pretty decent run on a great track," Schumacher said. "The
computer showed that there's a lot left in (the tune-up). We have an
outstanding race car and we're hoping to get off to a better start this
season. Alan (Johnson, crew chief) seemed happy with the run, so that's
good."

Former Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Antron Brown made his Top Fuel debut
and posted a 10th place effort. He covered the quarter-mile distance in
4.560 seconds at 326.16 mph in his Matco Tools dragster.

Kalitta was quickest in Funny Car, posting a 4.818 at 322.65 in his DHL
Toyota Solara. However, Kalitta didn't get to savor his category-leading
performance for long because one of the two parachutes that help slow
the car following a run failed to open after he crossed the finish line.
Unable to stop, his car went out of control and plowed into the safety
sand traps at the top end of the track. Kalitta was not injured, but the
Solara body on his car will need extensive repairs before Friday's 2
p.m. qualifying session.

"The car is OK, but the body will need to be repaired," said Kalitta,
who noted that his parachutes failed because a last-minute body change
didn't leave him with enough time to properly adjust the levers that
control the parachutes' operation. "They'll probably put a new front
clip on it.

"We're happy with the run but there's still three more rounds of
qualifying left, so that run probably won't stay number one," Kalitta
continued. "I am just happy that it went down the track."

Defending Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon is third with a 4.845 at
325.45 in his Q-Horsepower Chevy Impala, while 14-time champ John Force
was 14th in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang after making a comeback from a
serious crash last season at Dallas that sidelined him with multiple
injuries.

Former Top Fuel racer Melanie Troxel will try to become the 14th
competitor in NHRA history to win in both nitro categories. She opened
her Funny Car career with a 4.900 second run at 316.45 mph in her
ProCare Rx Dodge Charger, good enough for eighth overall.

Anderson, who has had great success at this event during his Pro Stock
career including three victories and three No. 1 qualifying
performances, powered his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to a leading
performance of 6.635 at 208.91.

"This is a magic place for me," Anderson said. "I love coming here. I
love the facility and the race track and the people around here. I've
got a lot of special memories here."

Defending champ Jeg Coughlin was third with a 6.651 at 207.98 in his
JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt.

* * *

POMONA, Calif. -- Results Thursday after the first of four rounds of
qualifying for the 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, first of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Friday and Saturday for
Sunday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.513 seconds, 331.53 mph; 2. Alan
Bradshaw, 4.524, 306.40; 3. David Grubnic, 4.530, 318.62; 4. Hillary
Will, 4.534, 333.58; 5. Cory McClenathan, 4.539, 321.81; 6. Larry Dixon,
4.543, 324.28; 7. Doug Herbert, 4.545, 327.98; 8. Morgan Lucas, 4.557,
322.42; 9. Rod Fuller, 4.558, 325.30; 10. Antron Brown, 4.560, 326.16;
11. J.R. Todd, 4.575, 294.18; 12. Doug Kalitta, 4.647, 315.34. Not
Qualified: 13. Bob Vandergriff, 4.678, 311.56; 14.
Urs Erbacher, 5.952, 160.40; 15. Troy Buff, 6.115, 135.67; 16. Brandon
Bernstein, 9.831, 78.90; 17. Steven Chrisman, 13.679, 75.15.

Funny Car -- 1. Scott Kalitta, Toyota Solara, 4.818, 322.65; 2. Bob
Bode, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.841, 314.68; 3. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala,
4.845, 325.45; 4. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 4.850, 321.65; 5. Ashley
Force, Mustang, 4.860, 278.75; 6. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.864,
295.72; 7. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.876, 320.51; 8. Melanie Troxel, Dodge
Dodge RT, 4.900, 316.45; 9.Del Worsham, Impala, 4.967, 317.79; 10. Jim
Head, Solara, 5.133, 221.85; 11. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 5.151,
227.69; 12. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 5.212, 240.12. Not Qualified:
13. Bob Tasca III, 5.277, 309.34; 14. John Force, 6.726, 134.23; 15.
Jerry Toliver, 7.048, 109.09; 16. Cruz Pedregon, 7.209, 97.46; 17. Gary
Scelzi, 7.422, 120.23; 18. Gary Densham, 8.828, 108.93; 19. Robert
Hight, 9.526, 84.80; 20. Tony Bartone, 11.060, 70.62; 21. James Day,
17.101, 69.68.

Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.635, 208.91; 2. Kurt
Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.649, 208.62; 3. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.651,
207.98; 4. Warren Johnson, Pontiac GTO, 6.656, 209.04; 5. Jason Line,
GTO, 6.656, 208.81; 6. Justin Humphreys, GTO, 6.660, 207.94; 7. Greg
Stanfield, GXP, 6.662, 207.85; 8. Max Naylor, Dodge Stratus, 6.671,
206.92; 9. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.674, 208.30; 10. V. Gaines,
Stratus, 6.685, 206.35; 11. Matt Hartford, Dodge Status, 6.695, 206.48;
12. Kenny Koretsky, Cobalt, 6.704, 206.32. Not Qualified: 13. Mike
Edwards, 6.706, 205.32; 14. Ron Krisher, 6.727, 206.39; 15. Johnny Gray,
6.742, 205.63; 16. Tom Hammonds, 6.750, 206.70; 17. Vinnie Deceglie,
6.753, 204.85; 18. Jim Yates, 6.754, 204.91; 19. Larry Morgan, 6.776,
205.13; 20. Gordie Rivera, 6.832, 203.58; 21. Bill Glidden, 12.641,
86.23; 22. Ben Watson, 18.766, 45.04.

DAYTONA BEACH FL (2-7-08)--Judging by the top of the speed charts, the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series SunTrust Rookie of the Year competitors made good use of Thursday’s five-hour practice session at Daytona Int’l Speedway. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., in the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford was quickest among all 65 drivers entered for this weekend’s ARCA 200 at Daytona.

Stenhouse, Jr., the 2007 USAC National Sprint and Midget Series Rookie of the Year, tested at Daytona during the ARCA open test in December and plans to compete in all 21 ARCA RE/MAX Series races in 2008. He was followed on the final practice chart by a pair of ARCA RE/MAX Series veterans, including Justin Marks in the No. 65 Voodoo Ride Toyota (Germain Racing) and Dexter Bean in the No 37 Glock Chevrolet (Spraker Racing Enterprises).

“The Voodoo Ride Camry was really good right when we unloaded in qualifying trim,” said Marks. “We had to make a rear end gear change to make it better in the draft, which may hurt us a little bit in qualifying. Germain Racing has done a great job preparing this car and we’re looking forward to being contenders to win this race.”

Marks finished fifth in the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX point standings and plans to compete full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Germain Racing in 2008. Bean, who ended up third in practice, used the session to prove that he is feeling pretty comfortable in the Spraker Racing Enterprise’s No. 37 Glock Chevrolet. The driver competed on a full time basis in the series last year in equipment fielded by his father but made the switch to Spraker beginning with an ARCA open test at Daytona in December.

“We had a really strong car here in the test so I knew that when we unloaded here for the race at Daytona we would be really good,” said Bean midway through practice. “Jeff [Spraker] and all of the guys have been working really hard. We’re only going to make about five more laps. The motor is running a little bit warm and we want to correct that before the end of the day.”

Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indy 500 winner, was fourth quickest at 183.688 mph (48.996 seconds), followed by Landon Cassill in the No. 88 Stanley-Vidmar-Proto Chevrolet (183.602 mph/49.019 seconds).

Michael Annett drove his No. 28 Bill Davis Racing Toyota to the top of the speed charts early during the practice session, settling for sixth. The West Des Moines, Iowa native is no stranger to restrictor plate racing, as he posted his career first ARCA RE/MAX Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway last October. The Talladega victory also made Annett the first driver to bring the Toyota nameplate to victory lane in ARCA RE/MAX Series competition.

Max Dumarey was seventh quickest in the No. 94 Body Coach Ford, followed by Scott Speed.

“It’s going to take a lot more to drive the race than at Talladega,” said Speed, who finished seventh in his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut at Talladega in October. “The track has less grip and is a lot bumpier. The car felt pretty good especially in the small amount of drafting that we did. The track changes a lot with the wind so that was a factor today. I think optimistically we could qualify in the top-5. Realistically top-10. We would love to see a little rain tomorrow.”

Five-time ARCA RE/MAX Series Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart was ninth quickest, while Ryan Fischer was tenth in the No. 25 Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet.

Many ARCA RE/MAX Series teams were hard at work during Thursday’s practice session, including Win-Tron Racing, who made the decision to change engines in Dominick Casola’s No. 32 A. Casola Farms Dodge.

“The entire Win-Tron Racing team has worked hard preparing our No. 32 Dodge Charger for Dominick Casola,” said Nate Thiesse, team manager. “We went out today during practice and the motor wasn’t responding to our liking. We adjusted a few items hoping to correct the issue but to no avail. This is a huge race for our team so instead of taking a chance of losing the motor completely we decided to pull it and put our back-up in from RC Consulting. We aren’t fazed with the change; we just can’t take any chances in the 2008 season opener. Dominick is doing a great job for us and we know that when ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying rolls around on Friday, we’ll find ourselves in the show comfortably.”

Casola finished 13th in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings in 2007, posting a career best finish of third at Talladega Superspeedway in October. Coppell, Texas’ Ed Kennedy also changed engines in his No. 00 Thunder 2-Daytona Lagoon Chevrolet. Nine-time and defending ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel, debuting a new team, a new number and a new manufacturer this weekend at Daytona, opted to make several mechanical changes during the five hour practice, including changing the rear axle housing and trailing arms. Kimmel was 17th on the charts in the No. 44 Prestolite Wire Dodge.

SIM Factory Qualifying Up Next
Next up for the ARCA RE/MAX Series is SIM Factory Pole Award qualifying. The qualifying session will help determine the starting line-up for Saturday’s ARCA 200 at Daytona, as the fastest 32 cars from the qualifying session will be locked into the 43-car starting field. The starting field will grow from the usual 41 starting positions to 43 for the Daytona event, as series officials have built two additional provisionals into the starting line-up. Positions 33 through 36 are reserved for car owners based on final 2007 ARCA point standings, while positions 37-42 are reserved for “Golden A” eligible teams who competed in 100 percent of the series races in 2007. Position 43 is made available for a past ARCA RE/MAX Series champion. If no past champion is in need of a provisional, the position is made available to a Golden A eligible team who competed in 100 percent of series races in 2007. If no additional Golden A teams are eligible for a provisional, the field will be set at 42.

DAYTONA BEACH FL (2-7-08)--Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America have announced that SunTrust Banks, Inc., will join the ARCA family of corporate sponsors in 2008 as title sponsor of the ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year Award Program.

SunTrust will post a $10,000 bonus to the end-of-season Rookie of the Year award winner. In addition, the company will post a $250 cash award to the highest finishing registered rookie at each ARCA RE/MAX Series event and a $100 cash bonus to the highest finishing non-rookie in each event.

“It’s exciting for everyone at SunTrust to venture into new territory as part of the ARCA RE/MAX Series, which has long been one of the top rungs on the ladder that leads promising driving talent to the highest levels of stock car racing in the world,” said Craig Kelly, corporate executive vice president, chief marketing officer, SunTrust Banks, Inc. “We are certainly proud of our diverse portfolio of sponsorships and support of major series, teams, events, venues and organizations throughout the racing world. Becoming a sponsor of the ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year program is a thrilling addition to the lineup as we continue to build on our reputation as the Official Bank of Motorsports.”

SunTrust Banks, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the nation's largest banking organizations, serving a broad range of consumer, commercial, corporate and institutional clients. As of December 31, 2007, SunTrust had total assets of $179.6 billion and total deposits of $117.8 billion. The Company operates an extensive branch and ATM network throughout the high-growth Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and a full array of technology-based, 24-hour delivery channels. The Company also serves customers in selected markets nationally. Its primary businesses include deposit, credit, trust and investment services. Through various subsidiaries the Company provides mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, equipment leasing and capital markets services. SunTrust’s Internet address is suntrust.com.

The ARCA RE/MAX Series, entering its 56th consecutive year of competition, has honored a top rookie competitor each year since 1957. Former ARCA Rookie of the Year award winners have gone on to successfully compete in a wide range of racing series, including all three of NASCAR’s top touring divisions.

Frank Kimmel, whose storied racing career has included eight ARCA RE/MAX Series championships, an invitation to compete in the International Race of Champions (IROC) Series, along with forays into the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NACAR Craftsman Truck Series, was the 1992 ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year. Other ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year honorees include Michael McDowell (2007), Jeremy Mayfield (1993), Davey Allison (1984), Benny Parsons (1965), Dave Dayton (1966), Bill Venturini (1983), Jason Jarrett (2001) and Charlie Glotzbach (1964), to name a few.

“As the ARCA RE/MAX Series continues to evolve as a place to develop up-and-coming talent, we welcome the opportunity to add a trusted and well respected company to our Rookie of the Year Program, “said Mark Gundrum, vice president of marketing and communications for ARCA. “We are pleased to welcome SunTrust to the ARCA family of sponsors, and excited to have them as the Rookie of the Year Awards Program sponsor.”

To compete for Rookie of the Year honors, all rookie challengers must sign a rookie declaration form and present it to an ARCA official before any race in which they earn points. All rookie challengers must attempt to compete in at least one superspeedway event and one short track event to be eligible for the Rookie of the Year award. Points are awarded and accumulated from the best fifteen finishes out of the 21-event ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule, with the highest finishing rookie in each event earning 30 points and points decreasing in increments of two as follows: 1st–30, 2nd–28, 3rd–26, 4th–24, 5th–22, 6th–20, 7th-18, 8th-16, 9th-14, 10th-12, 11th-10, 12th-8, 13th-6, 14th-4, 15th-2. Final determination of award winner is based on points earned and a vote of the award committee. ARCA RE/MAX Series competitors interested in competing for ROTY honors in 2007 should call the ARCA home office (734) 847-6726 to request an official rookie declaration form.

The SunTrust Rookie of the Year program officially kicks off with the 45th running of the ARCA 200 at Daytona this Saturday, February 9th at 4 p.m. Eastern. The race serves as a prelude to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout and airs LIVE on SPEED Channel.