Mark Thomas' ethanol push at Indy IRP

DRAG RACER MARK THOMAS CONTINUES ETHANOL PUSH AT INDIANAPOLIS

DRAG RACER MARK THOMAS CONTINUES ETHANOL PUSH INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY NEXT STOP ON PROMOTIONAL TOUR

NORWALK, Ohio (May 10, 2006) -- Last week, former five-time IHRA Alcohol Funny Car World Champion Mark Thomas spoke to a regional group of General Motors dealers at Haydocy Automotive in Columbus, Ohio. Thursday, May 11, he will be on an even bigger stage.

As part of "Ethanol Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway," Thomas, who owns a family farm outside of Canton, Ohio, will display his car at the track during qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. He will be joined by other Ethanol powered drivers including Buddy Rice and Danica Patrick. The drivers will display their cars before participating in a press conference with United States Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.

Executives from the Ethanol Promotion Information Council (EPIC) will also be on hand to speak to the assembled media about Ethanol.

"This is a big deal," Thomas said of the appearance. "I'm really looking forward to meeting, face to face, with the biggest players in this industry. As this Ethanol surge continues the industry will get even more attention; that's what this is all about. We want to get the message out there to as many people as possible because I truly believe in Ethanol and its benefits."

Thomas has been working with General Motors as part of their "Live Green, Go Yellow" flex fuel vehicles campaign. He is also working closely with EPIC.

"The people from EPIC are really stepping up with promotions like this," Thomas said. "This is going to be important, but I also expect it to be a lot of fun."

Thomas' next race on the IHRA eMax Drag Racing Series will be the Mopar Canadian Nationals, June 2-4, at Grand Bend (Ontario) Motorplex.

About IHRA

Headquartered in Norwalk, Ohio, the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), a division of Live Nation, promotes professional, semi-professional and local level racing opportunities for drivers at all levels. The eMax Drag Racing Series is an 11-event North American professional drag racing circuit. In 2006, the series will be comprised of eight events in major cities throughout the United States and three in Canada. The Mr. Gasket Pro-Am Championship consists of competition at national events and 35 events in six regional divisions, while IHRA's Summit SuperSeries is conducted nearly every weekend at over 90 IHRA-sanctioned tracks. Providing a safe environment to develop future stars, IHRA offers the PM-1 Junior Dragster Racing Series for youths ages 8-17. Stand-alone events include Live Nation's entertainment-filled "Thunder Jam" shows and the street legal racing and lifestyle event series Kumho Street Warriorz presented by Hooters. More information can be found at www.ihra.com.

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