No Drag on UPS Speed with This New Sponsorship; ''Brown'' Backing NHRA, Vandergriff Motorsports

UPS's three-year NHRA partnership creates opportunities for newbusiness relationships with the 80,000 NHRA members and more than1,500 licensed professional and sportsmen competitors. It also raisesUPS's profile on race weekends that attract more than 2 millionspectators a year. Each of the races on the 23-event U.S. circuit willbe televised on ESPN2 this year.

"Our association with the NHRA expands the UPS motorsportsportfolio," said Patrick Guilbert, UPS vice president of corporatesponsorship and events. "The NHRA opens the door to UPS for newtracks, suppliers, teams, merchandisers and fan clubs that complementour NASCAR properties and we look forward to putting our relationshipswithin the motorsports supply chain in high gear."

UPS Trackside Services, which already provides shipping servicesdirectly to controlled-access areas at NASCAR racetracks, will beonsite for critical, last-minute small package and freight deliveriesto and from all NHRA national events. NHRA race teams, officials andvendors can have anything from auto parts to uniforms to parachutesdelivered quickly and reliably by UPS.

Atlanta-based Vandergriff Motorsports will put 10-year driver and1994 NHRA Rookie of the Year Bob Vandergriff Jr. behind the wheel ofthe UPS Top Fuel dragster this season. Bob Vandergriff Sr., pastpresident of the Professional Race Owners Association and a pioneer indeveloping the automotive aftermarket, also will be a visible part ofselected UPS customer and hospitality events. A special UPS paintscheme has been developed for the dragster along with a UPS parachuteto stop each run.

The season kicks off Feb. 9-12 at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRAWinter Nationals in Pomona, Calif., just a few miles from UPS's WestCoast air hub in Ontario. UPS operates the ninth largest airline inthe world.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS is the world's largest packagedelivery company and a global leader in supply chain services. Eachday, the UPS pit crew of more than 407,000 dedicated employeesdelivers to more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.