Hertz(NYSE: HTZ) announces its entry into NASCAR with this weekend's debut of the No. 22 Hertz Ford Mustang in the Nationwide Series at Dover International Speedway. At the helm is Joey Logano, who won both of the NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Dover last season. Logano has finished fourth, third and second in his three Nationwide Series races this year. To celebrate its debut, Hertz is offering Joey Logano, Penske Racing and NASCAR fans discounted rates of up to 22% off their Hertz rental.

"Hertz is excited for our debut with Penske Racing in the Nationwide Series," commented Mark P. Frissora, Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Dover is a formidable race track, however we're confident that Joey Logano will be able to bring home a first place win for the team while driving at the speed of Hertz."

Since making his season- and Penske Racing-debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series just a few weeks ago at Talladega Superspeedway, Logano has racked up strong finishes behind the wheel. Logano has helped move the No. 22 up in the Owner's Standings from sixth to third since he took over the ride. Logano comes into the Dover race weekend as the winner of the last two Dover Nationwide Series events. Logano won both races at the high-banked, mile-long track last season, leading 338 of the 400 laps over the two events. He also has a pair of poles at the track, as well as two runner-up finishes. Logano made his much anticipated Nationwide Series debut just a week after his 18th birthday in 2008 at Dover, where he started ninth and finished sixth.

"Dover International Speedway is one of my favorite tracks and I'm excited to be driving the No. 22 Hertz Ford Mustang this weekend," commented Penske driver Joey Logano. "The track has a lot of speed and g-load through the corners. We've had some pretty good success there over the years.  I'm confident that the chemistry the team has been building will serve us well this weekend."

This year, Hertz and Penske Racing teamed up with Hertz serving as a 2013 primary sponsor for select races on the No. 22 Penske Racing car competing in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series. Under the agreement, Hertz is the primary sponsor on the No. 22 Ford Mustang for seven races in the Nationwide Series. The No. 22 Hertz Ford will compete at Dover International Speedway (two races), New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Homestead-Miami Speedway this season. In addition, Hertz is co-primary sponsor on the No. 22 Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series at the fall race hosted at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Under the new partnership, Hertz is also an associate sponsor for the Penske Racing No. 22 Cup Series and Nationwide Series teams with branding presence on the team's uniforms and equipment as well as on the Nationwide Series car. 

To receive the Joey Logano/Penske Racing discount on Hertz rentals, customers must mention corporate discount number (CDP#):  2222222 at time of reservation.   The Joey Logano/Penske Racing discount is subject to all applicable terms and conditions and blackout dates may apply.

Hertz is committed to offering its customers the most technologically innovative products and services available to keep customers "Traveling at the Speed of Hertz." This includes Hertz 'Carfirmations'; 'Gold Choice', which gives Gold members the power to keep the car they reserved or simply choose a different car from the Gold Choice area; and e-Return, with the fastest car rental drop-off that includes an email receipt within hours. These are all complimentary services for Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members, which is currently free to join. In addition, Hertz continues to expand the presence of its ExpressRent Interactive Kiosks that let customers rent a car, with or without a reservation, through a live, face-to-face video kiosk.

Hertz PR

Phoenix International Raceway announced today that tickets will go on-sale June 1 for the fall AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Semi-Final Race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Tickets start at just $25 and can be purchased by visiting Phoenix Raceway.com or calling 866-408-RACE (7223).

The popular fall weekend at PIR historically sells out and features a full weekend of NASCAR action, including racing from NASCAR’s top-three series. The AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race takes place on Sunday, November 10. The event weekend also features the NASCAR Nationwide Series 200 on Saturday, November 9 and the Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, November 8.

Race fans can take advantage of PIR’s ‘Value Pricing’ period and receive extra savings by purchasing their tickets for the AdvoCare 500 early. The ‘Value Pricing’ period takes place June 1 through July 7. Regular pricing begins on July 8 and runs through the start of the November event weekend.

PIR PR

An Ollie's Bargain Outlet employee can take a summer vacation in style this year with a brand-new 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe courtesy of the Kevin Harvick Foundation.

The Kevin Harvick Foundation, founded in 2010 by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick and his wife, DeLana, is partnering with Ollie's Bargain Outlet to give a Chevrolet Tahoe to one lucky full-time associate as part of a three-pronged in-store customer donation program that kicks off June 2 in conjunction with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway.

The campaign consists of the car giveaway, an in-store customer fundraiser for the Kevin Harvick Foundation and a special event at the June 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover.

"Dover always is a track the No. 29 team and I look forward to, but we've got even more incentive there this weekend," said Harvick, who won last Sunday's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and has enjoyed a four-year relationship with Ollie's. "Ollie's has really stepped up to the plate to help out the Foundation with the 'Red Out' at Dover and the in-store customer fundraiser. Hundreds of needy children will benefit from their commitment to others, not to mention the one employee who will be the envy of everyone in a brand-new Chevrolet Tahoe."

Kicking off the campaign June 2 is the in-store "Helmet Campaign," in which Ollie's offers shoppers an opportunity to donate $1 during their in-store purchase through July 13 to the Kevin Harvick Foundation. Of 139 stores nationwide, employees from the 29 that collect the most money will be eligible for the Chevrolet giveaway. One associate from these 29 stores will be randomly selected as the winner.

Additionally, Ollie's and the Kevin Harvick Foundation are teaming up for a "Red Out" at Dover on Sunday in support of the Helmet Campaign's commencement that day. Race fans who purchase a ticket at an Ollie's store for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway will receive a complimentary red t-shirt (red is one of Ollie's corporate colors) at Sunday's race. "Red Out" participants wearing the t-shirts will be eligible to win valuable prizes during the race.

KHI PR

Construction began this week on new restroom and concession facilities along the concourse in the first and second-turn of Martinsville Speedway.

It is the third such project in three years at Martinsville Speedway.

“Fan comfort and convenience are extremely important to us. This new construction is part of an ongoing project to keep upgrading our facilities for fans,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “We want to make sure our facilities are equal to those at any sporting or entertainment venue our fans may attend.”

The new building, which is at ground level under the South Terrace, is approximately 3,000 square feet. It will have men’s and women’s restrooms and two family restrooms.

The building will also contain a concession stand with full cooking capabilities.

The structure is on an elevated platform built into the superstructure of the grandstands to tie into the existing concourse without interfering with flow of pedestrians under the grandstands.

“Our architects did a great job of planning a fairly large building without interfering with foot traffic,” said Campbell. “That was one of our biggest concerns going into the project and it turned out not to be a worry at all.”

The new building will be finished in time for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on October 27.

Tickets for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 begin at just $37 and are on sale now. Tickets for youth 12 and under are just $10 in the Clay Earles Tower, rows 15-52. Teen tickets (ages 13-17) in the same area are $25. Youth and teen ticket prices are good with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Tickets for the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday, Oct. 26 are $30 in advance with youth 12 and under admitted free. Tickets for Pole Day, Friday, Oct. 25, are $15 with youth 12 and under admitted free.

Martinsville Speedway PR

In the midst of a two-race primary sponsorship with Bicycle® Playing Cards, Circle Sport announced that Interstate Moving Services will also partner with driver Landon Cassill and the No. 33 Circle Sport Chevrolet this weekend as an associate sponsor for the FedEx 400 on Sunday, June 2, at Dover International Speedway.

Celebrating its 70^th anniversary, Arthur Morrissette originally founded Interstate Moving Services in Washington, D.C., in 1943. The organization has seen tremendous change and evolution over seven decades of business, and during that time, one constant has remained a focus… to deliver quality “Top Hat Service” to each and every customer. Through three generations of family ownership and management, Interstate pledges to remain at the leading edge of training, methods and innovation while striving to deliver excellence to all of our customers without exception.

Now headquartered in Springfield, Va., Interstate Moving Services will be prominently displayed on the rear quarter panels of the No. 33 Bicycle NASCAR Playing Cards/Interstate Moving Services Chevrolet SS for Sunday’s 13^th race of the 2103 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Circle Sport PR

ThorSport's trio battled alternately loose and tight handling throughout the day, particularly through the bumpy Turns 3 and 4, and while their race runs were decent, all three trucks were lacking sheer speed compared to the competition on Thursday.

Truck Series point leader Matt Crafton logged his best lap of the day on his 37th and final lap of Happy Hour, actually a 75-minute practice in the late afternoon. His No. 88 Goof Off / Menards Toyota turned a lap in 24 seconds, an average speed of 150 mph. That lap was good for 17th on the 36-truck speed chart. Crafton turned just nine laps in the first 75-minute practice, with a best lap of 24.103 seconds, 13th on the 35-truck chart.

His ThorSport teammate, Johnny Sauter, was 10th in the first practice in his No. 98 Carolina Nut Co. / Curb Records Toyota, with his fourth of 10 laps in 24.025 seconds, 149.844 mph. Sauter's best lap of the 13 he turned in Happy Hour was also his last, in 24.109 seconds / 149.322 mph, that was good for 19th in that practice.

Todd Bodine in the No. 13 SealMaster Toyota, the third ThorSport truck, was 18th in P1 with his best of 17 laps, 24.251 seconds, 148.447 mph. Bodine ended Happy Hour in 27th, after running 21 laps with his best in 24.422 seconds, 147.408 mph.

Overall on the day, Crafton's best lap was 18th-fastest, Sauter was 20th and Bodine, 23rd. Quick-study Chase Elliott continued to impress as, in his first Dover visit and his third Truck start overall he was fastest in 23.422 seconds, 153.702 mph in Happy Hour. Another quick youngster, rookie of the year candidate Jeb Burton, was second-best in 23.489 seconds, also in Happy Hour.

In qualifying Dover history is on the ThorSport drivers' side, particularly Sauter, who has a 4.5 average start in four Dover attempts. Crafton, who has a 22-point lead in the standings over Burton, has five consecutive top-10 finishes at Dover and has five consecutive top-10 finishes this season -- the only series driver who can make that claim.

Bodine, who will make his sixth start for ThorSport, all this season, is the defending champion of this event.

Pole qualifying for the Lucas Oil 200 is at 10:05 a.m. ET Friday, with live coverage on the SPEED Channel. Bodine is scheduled to run 14th of the 36 trucks entered -- all of which will start the race. Sauter will go out 17th and Crafton, 19th.

The series' sixth race goes green at 5 p.m., with live TV coverage on SPEED beginning with "The Setup" pre-race show at 4:30 p.m. MRN Radio has live coverage, also beginning at 4:30.

Thorsport PR

Viva Motorsports, which fields the #55 Chevy Camaro in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, is pleased to announce the addition of legendary racer, Frank Cicci, to the team.  The team will now operate under the name “Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci.”

Cicci brings over 25 years of experience at the helm of winning NASCAR race teams.  A force in the Nationwide Series, Frank Cicci racked up 752 starts and 19 victories during his tenure as a car owner and had a hand in beginning the careers of many drivers such as Jimmy Spencer and Todd Bodine.

Cicci also introduced high profile sponsorships in which many are still involved in the sport.   He will use his expertise to help guide Viva into the future by focusing on securing a long term sponsor.  “We are thrilled to have someone with the name recognition of Frank Cicci to come on board.  This only makes our team stronger going forward,” said Jamie Dick, Partner and Team Manager of Viva Motorsports. Cicci commented on his involvement, “I have been waiting for the right opportunity and Viva Motorsports has it all.  My marketing team will get the team sponsored so that we can build a competitive organization.”

For the remaining 2013 season, Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci will operate out of its China Grove headquarters and continue a partial schedule in the Nationwide Series with support from Viva Auto Group. The team looks forward to securing sponsorship that will enable them to run a full schedule in 2014.

Viva Motorsports PR