THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER HEROES SOAR INTO
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY FOR THE
JUSTICE LEAGUE RACING WEEKEND PRESENTED BY HOT WHEELS
Super Power Meets Horsepower in Michigan, August 21 – 22
BROOKLYN, MI (Aug. 19, 2004) – The world-renowned DC Comics’ Justice League super heroes will take over Michigan International Speedway, August 21-22 for the ustice League Racing Weekend Presented by Hot Wheels®. The entire race weekend will be a celebration of super power vs. horsepower as fans enjoy a litany of themed entertainment and the best racing in America. Warner Bros. Consumer Products, DC Comics, International Speedway Corporation, Michigan International Speedway and Hot Wheels® are joining forces to bring NASCAR fans an all-American family event celebrating the power of these beloved super heroes. The Justice League Racing Weekend Presented By Hot Wheels® will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
During the Justice League Racing Weekend Presented by Hot Wheels, nine cars will be emblazoned with the familiar heroes of the Justice League -- Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Martian Manhunter -- for both the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events.
NASCAR’s 2003 Cup champion Matt Kenseth, along with fellow stars Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle will take part, hoping to get a special edge from their super hero partner’s powers and make a push to the front of the pack, during this exciting race weekend event.
“Justice League and NASCAR are a perfect fit, they both symbolize family entertainment,” said Jordan Sollitto, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Marketing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “We are excited to once again partner with NASCAR. We’re looking forward to a great race and hope that the Justice League characters can use their unique powers to propel one of our drivers to victory.”
"We are extremely excited about the Justice League’s involvement with the upcoming race weekend at Michigan International Speedway,” said Lesa Kennedy, President of ISC. “The participation by the World's Greatest Super Heroes will add an extra level of entertainment for each of our fans."
The drivers and their respective character pairings for the Justice League Racing Weekend Presented by Hot Wheels® include:
NASCAR Busch Series – August 21, 2004
Driver - JL Character - Car No. - Sponsor
Greg Biffle - The Flash - No. 60 - Charter Communications
Matt Kenseth - Martian Manhunter - No. 17 - Express Personnel Services
Mark Martin - Batman - No. 9 - Pennzoil
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series – August 22, 2004
Driver - JL Character - Car No. - Sponsor
Greg Biffle - The Flash - No. 16 - National Guard
Carl Edwards - Green Lantern - No. 99 - Roush Racing
Kurt Busch - Superman - No. 97 - Sharpie
Mark Martin - Batman - No. 6 - Pfizer
Ryan Newman - Justice League - No. 12 - ALLTEL
Ricky Rudd - Wonder Woman - No. 21 - Motorcraft
"We are really excited to be participating in the Justice League program, especially at MIS, which I consider our home track," said Jack Roush, owner of the cars driven by Biffle, Edwards, Busch, Kenseth and Martin. “When everyone in the shop saw the Justice League-themed cars roll out with the characters on them I think it brought back a lot of fun childhood memories for them. I hope all of the cars finish up front so we have a good representation of the strength of the Justice League.”
"With school starting, this is the perfect time to have a family-oriented racing program like the Justice League,” said Don Miller, President, Penske Racing South. “Penske Racing is excited about this program because these super heroes are timeless and their appeal crosses all generations around the world."
The Justice League Racing Weekend Presented by Hot Wheels® program will also introduce highly collectible merchandise featuring the Justice League characters and car graphics.
Elements of the program include targeted advertising in pre-race and race day materials; on-line exposure with race-related links on dccomics.com, nascar.com, isc.com; hotwheelscollectors.com and mispeedway.com; on-site exposure and initiatives, JumboTron spots running at all MIS races in August leading up to the race weekend; event point-of-purchase displays; branded exposure and theming at Michigan International Speedway during race weekend. Track-side events will also take place including character appearances by The Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman and Hot Wheels will also have a dedicated toy program at retail.
“The greatest super heroes of all time coupled with the speed, power and performance of Hot Wheels® will make this a remarkable race,” said Tony DaDante, Director/General Manager of Hot Wheels® Racing.
“Having the Justice League a part of our August events make it a very memorable weekend at MIS for all of our fans to enjoy," said Michigan International Speedway President, Brett Shelton. "It's looking to be a very fun weekend at MIS. We’ve got the World’s Greatest Super Heroes, the world’s greatest drivers and the world’s greatest fans."
The heroes of the Justice League returned to the small screen this summer with a new series, Justice League Unlimited, which incorporates a bold new look and a much larger scope. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern continue to lead the universe’s most powerful super heroes in an effort to stop criminal plots and alien threats that endanger the universe. Now, in Justice League Unlimited, they are joined by an even greater collection of heroes some of whom are well-known, like Supergirl, Green Arrow and the Atom, as well as some that are less familiar, like Booster Gold, Hawk & Dove, Elongated Man, The Question, Mister Miracle, Big Barda and Zatanna.
Each half-hour episode tells a power-packed story, combining some of the original heroes with new ones as they band together to battle alien invasions, powerful sorcerers, vast shadowy conspiracies and even ancient gods. Twenty-six new episodes for the 2004-05 TV season bring the total number of episodes to 78.
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About Warner Bros. Consumer Products
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.
About DC Comics
DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world and home to such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Sandman. These DC super heroes and others have starred in comic books, movies, television series (both animated and live-action) and cyberspace, thrilling audiences of all ages for generations. DC Comics' Web site is located at
www.dccomics.com.
About ISC
International Speedway Corporation is a leading promoter of motorsports activities in the United States, currently promoting more than 100 events annually. The Company owns and/or operates 12 of the nation's major motorsports facilities, including Daytona International Speedway, home of the prestigious Daytona 500 as well as Talladega Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway. For more information, visit the Company's Web site at
www.iscmotorsports.com.
About the Hot Wheels® Brand
Hot Wheels® cars revolutionized boys’ toys in 1968 with an original line of super-fast, customized cars built for speed, power and performance, wrapped in attitude. Now, 35 years later, Hot Wheels® is a global lifestyle brand that represents the coolest cars imaginable in scales from miniature to full-size. In addition to leading the way with innovative vehicles, playsets and track, Hot Wheels® cars are also popular collectibles for adults. For the latest information on Hot Wheels® cars, cruise over to
www.hotwheels.com.
About Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is wholly-owned subsidiary of International Speedway Corporation, a leading promoter of motorsports activities in the United States, currently promoting more than 100 events at 12 major motorsports facilities annually. To purchase tickets to events at MIS, or for more information, log on to
www.MISpeedway.com, or call the MIS ticket hotline at 1-800-354-1010.
HOT WHEELS® and associated trademarks are owned by Mattel, Inc. JUSTICE LEAGUE and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.
