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Since its inception in 1959, the DAYTONA 500 has become the standard of speed and thrilling excitement, giving names like Petty, Earnhardt and Andretti immortality and a place among the volumes of motorsports lore. Now, NASCAR fans can experience the legends and their tales firsthand, unfiltered and delivered by UPSĀ®.
The DAYTONA 500 Champions Chat Series Delivered by UPS will launch Sept. 19 as part of the celebration of the 50th running of the DAYTONA 500. As the "Official Express Delivery Company" of NASCAR, UPS has teamed up with Daytona International Speedway for this unprecedented access to the most well-known drivers to ever compete in the "Great American Race."
The sponsor-driven program provides an extraordinary opportunity for NASCAR fans to get up close and personal with the most popular drivers in the race's storied history. Fans can log on to www.daytona500.com/upschat or www.racing.ups.com to participate in online chat sessions with their favorite race winners, while getting free access to additional multimedia content about each driver and the DAYTONA 500.
"The DAYTONA 500 Champions Chat Series Delivered by UPS demonstrates our company's commitment to the sport and its fans," said Laura Kouns, motorsports marketing manager at UPS. "We are passionate about NASCAR and the chat series allows us to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans to share in the excitement leading up to the 50th Running of the DAYTONA 500."
Mario Andretti, 1967 DAYTONA 500 winner and the Associated Press "Driver of the Century," will be the first among a list of 10 Harley J. Earl trophy winners assembled by UPS to participate in the one-hour sessions.
The following is a schedule of the driver chats made available to fans:
DATE TIME DRIVER
September 19 12 - 1 pm Mario Andretti
October 3 12 - 1 pm Michael Waltrip
October 17 12 - 1 pm Bobby Allison
October 30 9 - 10 am Darrell Waltrip
November 7 12 - 1 pm Junior Johnson
November 14 9 - 10 am Dale Jarrett
January 9 12 - 1 pm Ward Burton
January 16 1 - 2 pm Richard Petty
January 23 12 - 1 pm TBD
January 30 12 - 1 pm TBD
*Dates and times are subject to change. Fans should log on to the Web site for up-to-the-minute information.
Never before have so many drivers, spread across decades of NASCAR history, been gathered together and made accessible to fans. Collectively, the 10 current and former drivers have participated in every DAYTONA 500 in the last 49 years.
UPS plays an active role in bringing fans their favorite brand of racing on and off the track. UPS is the primary sponsor of Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 44 Toyota Camry, driven by Dale Jarrett. Along with Daytona International Speedway, UPS also holds official track sponsorships at Bristol Motor Speedway, California Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Richmond International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
For more information regarding the DAYTONA 500 Champions Chat Series Delivered by UPS, visit www.daytona500.com/upschat or www.racing.ups.com.
About Daytona International SpeedwayDaytona International Speedway is the home of the "Great American Race" -- the DAYTONA 500 -- NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race in America and NASCAR's Pepsi 400 -- The Mid-Summer Spectacular under the lights. Daytona boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe -- from stock cars, sports cars, go karts and motorcycles -- earning it the title of "The World Center of Racing." For more information, visit www.DAYTONA500.com.
About UPS
UPS is the world's largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, offering an extensive range of options for synchronizing the movement of goods, information and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS's stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (UPS) and the company can be found on the Web at UPS.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.