THE RACE FOR HOPE

LOS ANGELES, California -- It could understandably be called the most important race of the year. When engines start up at Race For Hope, this Saturday night, August 21, at Irwindale Speedway, NASCAR Winston West Series drivers will be racing together to save lives. With blue-chip sponsors including Arm & Hammer, Coca-Cola, Duracell, Kodak, Nestle, Nestle Ice Cream, Solo Cups, and Marie Callendar's, the inaugural event promises an action-packed evening of racing, while at the same time benefiting research and treatment programs at City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute.

"The staff, racers, and fans alike all admire the heroic work that goes on every day, just two miles north of us in Duarte," said track Vice President Ray Wilkings. "The kind of response that our City of Hope event has evoked from the corporate world is remarkable and this is something that we're all very proud to support."

Race for Hope, with an expected attendance of 8,000, will feature championship driver, Joe Bean of San Diego, behind the wheel of the official City of Hope car. His #77 Ford Taurus will not only feature City of Hope's name, but also those of many co-sponsoring businesses. Bean is currently 6th in the Winston West point standings. Fans at the track on Saturday will be treated to 250 laps of racing, including team pit stops for fuel and tires at a specially-constructed pit lane right in front of the grandstands.

Tickets for Race For Hope can be obtained by visiting the Irwindale Speedway ticket offices at (626) 358-1100 during regular business hours, or on race day, August 21, beginning at noon. Spectator gates open at 2pm with the evening's festivities flagging off at 7pm.

Race For Hope is a new partnership between City of Hope, Irwindale Speedway and the Food Industries Circle, and industry fund-raising support group for City of Hope.

The Food Industries Circle for City of Hope continues to be one of the largest supporters of the national medical and research center. The group is represented by more than 1,000 industry leaders comprising virtually all of the major retailers, manufacturers and brokers serving the Southern California community. IN 1998, the group raised more than 6.5 million for City of Hope. Since the Circle's founding 26 years ago, the industry has raised more than $65 million for patient care and groundbreaking research.