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New Jersey Resident Wins Tony Stewart’s Firesuit Through Hendrickcars.com Sweepstakes*

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 28, 2009) – When Tony Stewart drove his No. 80 Chevrolet to Victory Lane earlier this month at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, he wasn’t the only winner.

Thanks to a sweepstakes* organized by sponsor HendrickCars.com, Fred Swift of Rosenhayn, N.J., is walking away with Stewart’s race-worn firesuit from the Feb. 14 NASCAR Nationwide Series event.

Swift was notified Friday evening with a phone call from Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group. Swift is one of the more than 22,000 people who registered to “Win Tony’s Firesuit” at www.HendrickCars.com.

“I hate to let go of the suit,” said Stewart, who made his first start for team owner Hendrick at Daytona. “It all came together for us in that race, and now we’re one-for-one with Hendrick Motorsports. Those opportunities don’t come along often, and they’re tough to capitalize on when they do. The win definitely holds a special place for me.”

For Hendrick, the race marked his fourth career Daytona Nationwide Series victory and 14^th overall NASCAR win at the historic 2.5-mile track. But the day also was memorable for other reasons.

“It was our first race with Tony, which was something we’ve talked about for years,” said Hendrick, who met Stewart in 1996. “On top of that, the car promoted our Web site, HendrickCars.com, and used the No. 80 to represent all of our Hendrick Automotive Group franchises.

“My two passions are racing and the automobile business, so it was incredibly special to combine them like that. To have our Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group people together in Victory Lane was something I’ll never forget.”

Hendrick Motorsports has retired Stewart’s No. 80 Chevy, which will embark on a nationwide dealership tour in its as-raced condition. Information on tour dates will be available at HendrickCars.com.

“We’re going to send the car out to our dealerships,” Hendrick said. “Hopefully people will bring their families, take pictures and have some fun with it. Racing really pumps up the folks who work in our stores, and I think it’ll be a neat thing for NASCAR fans, too.”

As for the firesuit, Stewart’s loss is Swift’s gain.

“Honestly, I shouldn’t have let Rick talk me into giving it away,” joked Stewart, a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. “But I’m really happy for Fred, and I hope he takes good care of the suit. If it’s as meaningful to him as it is to me, I’m sure he will.”

*The processes and procedures used to randomly select the winner from qualified entrants were verified and approved by independent third party auditors.