Bristol, U.S.A. — As the Tri-Cities prepare for the upcoming Irwin Tools Night Race, select Walmart stores will offer authentic NASCAR merchandise and host exclusive fan events starting August 21.

Customers are invited to attend these special events and enjoy special appearances by Brad Keselowski and Eric McClure along with show car and simulator displays–perfect to safely get behind the wheel and feel the power of NASCAR on Auguat 21-24 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., varying by location.

“Walmart is the champion of the racing fan, and we are committed to providing customers with savings on authentic merchandise, as well as unique race time experiences,” said Walmart market manager Jon Tunnell. “We want to give fans affordability and accessibility, so they can enjoy race time with their families and friends.”

Race Time at Walmart

In addition to the fan events happening in Walmart parking lots, area Walmart stores will feature savings on all the food and snacks you need to enjoy the race, plus authentic NASCAR merchandise such as T-shirts and racing flags, with an even bigger selection of exclusive products available at Walmart.com/NASCAR.

Participating stores in the Tri-Cities include:

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Displays free and open to the public include the Scott Ultimate Tailgate Truck, Budweiser Show Car, Coca-Cola 2-Seat Simulator, and Coors Light Show Car at:

Store #3852
110 Rocky Bottom Drive
Unicoi, Tenn.
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Displays free and open to the public include the Wheaties Show Car, Cheez-It Simulator, 5-hour Energy Show Car, Miller Lite Show Car, Oreo Ritz Show Car, No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger, Hefty’s Show Car Simulator, M&M’s Show Car, Sim Pod and Trophy Display, No. 24 Pepsi MAX Show Car and No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Show Car at:

Store #3829
2915 W. Market St.
Johnson City, Tenn.
11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Hefty’s Nationwide Driver Eric McClure from 11 a.m. – noon.
Displays free and open to the public include the Coca-Cola 2-Seat Simulator, Budweiser Show Car, Hefty’s Show Car Simulator and the Coors Light Show Car at:

Store #742
2500 W. Stone Drive
Kingsport, Tenn.
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Displays free and open to the public include the Oreo Ritz Show Car, 5-hour Energy Show Car, Cheez-It Simulator, Miller Lite Show Car, Scott Ultimate Tailgate Truck, Wheaties Show Car, No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger, M&M’s Show Car, Sim Pod and Trophy Display, No. 24 Pepsi MAX Show Car and No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Show Cars at:

Store #599
3200 Fort Henry Drive
Kingsport, Tenn.
11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Displays free and open to the public include the Scott Ultimate Tailgate Truck, 5-hour Energy Show Car, Oreo Ritz Show Car, Budweiser Show Car, Wheaties Show Car and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger at:

Store #690
1001 Over Mountain Drive
Elizabethton, Tenn.
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

MillerCoors’ Sprint Cup Driver Brad Keselowski from 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Displays free and open to the public include the Miller Lite Show Car, Coca-Cola 2-Seat Simulator, Cheez-It Simulator, Hefty’s Show Car Simulator, M&M’s Show Car, Sim Pod and Trophy Display, No. 24 Pepsi MAX Show Car and No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Show Car at:

Store #1080
3111 Browns Mill Road
Johnson City, Tenn.
11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Displays free and open to the public include the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger, Scott Ultimate Tailgate Truck, Budweiser Show Car, Coca-Cola 2-Seat Simulator, Cheez-It Simulator, Wheaties Show Car, 5-Hour Energy Show Car, Miller Lite Show Car, No. 24 Pepsi MAX Show Car and No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Show Car at:

Store #620
220 Century Blvd.
Bristol, Tenn.
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Displays free and open to the public include the Oreo Ritz Show Car, Hefty’s Show Car Simulator, and M&M’s Show Car, Sim Pod and Trophy Display at:

Store #2089
13245 Lee Highway
Bristol, Va.
10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

For additional details and a complete listing of participating Walmart stores, visit Walmart.com/NASCAR

Image Courtesy of   Doug James / Shutterstock.com

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Auburn Hills, U.S.A. – On August 7, 2012 SRT Motorsports announced that Dodge will withdraw from Nascar competition at the conclusion of the 2012 season.

Ralph Gilles, President and CEO – Street and Racing Technology Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group, made the announcement during a media teleconference call. The decision affects current involvement in both the Nascar Sprint Cup Series and Nascar Nationwide Series. Penske Racing currently fields two Dodge Charger cars in the Sprint Cup Series and two Dodge Challenger cars in the Nationwide Series.

Penske Racing announced in February that it would end its partnership with Dodge, which started in 2003, at the end of the 2012 season.

“We’ve spent an intense five months working to identify and evaluate all options for our future involvement in Nascar,” Gilles said. “A number of opportunities emerged, and our team worked diligently to put a structure together to fit our overall business and competitive objectives. While we have been pleased and enthused with the amount of interest from teams and sponsors over that time, in the end, we simply couldn’t develop the right structure.”

Dodge has recorded 215 wins in the Sprint Cup Series, including 55 since 2001, and has been represented in the Nascar Chase for the Sprint Cup seven of the eight seasons. In 2010, Brad Keselowski captured the Nascar Nationwide Series championship in a Dodge from Penske Racing.

“It’s an extremely difficult decision to know that we won’t be there for our fans next season,” Gilles added. “It’s important to note that we have not lost focus on 2012 or the commitment to our partnership with Penske Racing in both the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series this season.”

Brad Keselowski currently is seventh in the Sprint Cup Series standings and has three wins in his quest to make the 12-driver Chase field for the second consecutive year. In Nationwide Series competition, Sam Hornish Jr. is locked in a four-way battle for the season championship.

Image Courtesy of   Walter G Arce / Shutterstock.com

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Daytona Beach, U.S.A. – NASCAR have concluded a comprehensive agency review that spanned nearly four months, by selecting Ogilvy & Mather as Agency of Record (AOR) to service the sport’s evolving advertising and marketing needs. The agency will help NASCAR and the industry to execute a Five-Year Industry Action Plan to engage and excite existing fans, while creating new ones.

NASCAR embarked on a review to secure a class-leading, full-service advertising agency in early 2012 in order to expand the sport’s marketing efforts and provide an integrated solution to help NASCAR grow its audience in Youth, Gen Y and Hispanic. As AOR, Ogilvy & Mather’s responsibilities will also include target segmentation, brand vision/storytelling, media strategy, promotions and support for the growing NASCAR Digital team.

NASCAR received 110 inquiries and 75 sets of credentials from a host of agencies of all sizes and expertise. The list was carefully analyzed and narrowed to a field of fewer than 10 firms, each of which were visited by a cross-functional team of executives from key business areas across NASCAR. In June, a trio of finalists – Leo Burnett, Ogilvy & Mather and McCann Erickson North America – presented to a group of senior leaders, including NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.

“Significant changes in our ecosystem impacted how we deliver our message and position our brand to existing fans while increasing the appeal of NASCAR to new audiences,” said Kim Brink, NASCAR managing director of brand, consumer and series marketing. “We were thoroughly impressed with the caliber of all three finalists; but Ogilvy’s consistency, creativity and dynamic leadership were the key differentiators. We’re delighted to join the agency’s roster of big consumer brands.”

“We view NASCAR as a lighthouse brand,” said John Seifert, chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather North America. “The sport blends marquee stars, jewel events, and some of the fiercest competition on the planet with an intricate ecosystem comprised of historic tracks and compelling personalities. From the beginning of the agency review process, it was clear to us that NASCAR was looking for a true business partner. We firmly believe that NASCAR is a valuable tool in the marketing mix and a place where big brands get high return on investment. We couldn’t be more proud to add the sport to our portfolio of global brands.”

Ogilvy & Mather will complete a comprehensive on-boarding process in 2012, as the agency prepares to help NASCAR launch a new brand platform at the 55th running of the Daytona 500 in February 2013.

Image Courtesy of   Photo Works / Shutterstock.com

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NASHVILLE, U.S.A. – Casey Weston, country music recording artist and last season’s finalist from NBC’s “The Voice,” will have a big month.

She will perform the National Anthem for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, May 12, 2012. She also will do a special event for the VIPs in a private reception.

Weston also will join the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra during their Patriotic Pops program, a star-spangled celebration of America, at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 25-26.

“The 75,000 fans in attendance at Darlington and over 8 million television viewers will listen to one of country music’s rising stars,” stated Greg Terada, who has worked with the top music artists in the world.

“Performing the National Anthem for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will be another defining moment in my young career,” Weston said. “I’m excited to attend my first NASCAR race, and I can’t think of a better track than Darlington, one of the most historic racetracks in the sport. To have the opportunity to perform the anthem in front of tens of thousands of loyal and passionate NASCAR fans will mean a lot to me.”

Joining Weston in Darlington will be TV Producer and Music Manager Jacques Lambert and Event Producer, Music Manager and Consultant to “A List” Celebrities Greg Terada.

Weston, originally from Naples, Fla., began her performing career six years ago with both original songs and covers. Both originals and covers were well received and her audiences continue to grow. In 2009, Weston released her first album, 10 songs on the self-titled “Casey Weston.”

“I’m thrilled to return to my hometown to sing with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and see many of my friends and fans who helped me get started. I’ll never forget them. They mean so much to me,” she said.

Following the successful release of her first album, Weston auditioned on the popular show “The Voice” and was one of eight finalists in the inaugural season for the TV show sensation. Following her success on the “The Voice” Weston continues to stay in touch with her friend and coach Adam Levine, front man for Maroon 5.

The post-season “The Voice Finalists Tour” had Weston performing on stages across the nation. Weston has also performed at venues and festivals in Southwest Florida, the Old Rock House in St. Louis, Schuba’s in Chicago, NBC-Universal Studios in Los Angeles and the Women Today Expo in Ventura, California. She has also performed at the Commodore Lounge, Hard Rock Cafe, Rocketown and the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. On the national concert circuit, Weston has opened for Top 40 and country acts such as James Otto, John Anderson, Craig Morgan and Justin Moore.

Follow Casey’s upcoming performances on Facebook at www.facebook.com/caseywestonmusic

Weston is being consulted by Greg Terada, former Executive Producer of Celebrity Fight Night withMuhammad Ali. Terada is known for creating and producing Red Carpet buzz with events such as Charity Jam with Alicia Keys and Kid Rock, the NBA All Star Game Main Event with Run DMC and Ashanti,Manny Pacquiao’s Ring “Walkouts” with “Eye of the Tiger” and Jimi Jamison, the Obakki Foundation Launch with Nickelback’s Ryan Peake and many more.

Image Courtesy of    Casey Weston

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