Hendrickcars.com to sponsor Phoenix Racing, JR Motorsports and Childress Racing in select 2012 NASCAR events.

‘2012 Indy Dream Weekend’ Sweepstakes to Coincide with HendrickCars.com Re-Launch

CHARLOTTE, N.C., February 13, 2012 – HendrickCars.com will sponsor three NASCAR teams in select races in early 2012. The sponsorships will promote the new-look retail automotive website, which re-launched Feb. 1, and coincide with the HendrickCars.com “2012 Indy Dream Weekend” sweepstakes.

The program will kick off during Speedweeks in Daytona Beach, Fla., with primary sponsorship of Phoenix Racing and 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch in the Feb. 25 Nationwide Series race and Feb. 26 Daytona 500. It will continue with primary sponsorship of JR Motorsports and driver Cole Whitt in the March 17 Nationwide event at Bristol, Tenn.

In addition, HendrickCars.com will be a major associate sponsor of the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet with driver Elliott Sadler in NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500.

“Last year’s Daytona 500 broadcast alone averaged more than 15 million viewers, and we expect 2012 will be even stronger,” said Rick Hendrick, Chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group, which owns HendrickCars.com. “Combined with our sponsorship in the Nationwide Series, that’s tens of millions of people seeing our brand, hearing our message and then visiting HendrickCars.com. We wanted to showcase the new site, and there’s no more effective marketing tool than NASCAR.”

In conjunction with the sponsorship, HendrickCars.com is launching the “2012 Indy Dream Weekend” sweepstakes. From Feb. 13 through March 19, visitors can log onto HendrickCars.com to register for a chance to win a weekend for two at the July 29 Sprint Cup race in Indianapolis. The winner and a guest will receive behind-the-scenes access, a tour of the historic racing venue, VIP seats in a trackside suite and more. The winner will be announced March 23 at http://www.hendrickcars.com/.

“We’re proud to have HendrickCars.com as our primary sponsor for both races in Daytona,” said James Finch, Owner of Phoenix Racing. “The Hendrick people know how well sponsorships like this work when they’re done the right way. Daytona is a big opportunity for our team to build some positive momentum to start the season. Having a sponsor for Speedweeks means a lot to us, and we’re going to do everything we can to put HendrickCars.com up front.”

The sponsorship of Whitt pairs HendrickCars.com with an up-and-coming young driver and Nationwide Series rookie-of-the-year contender. In his first season at JR Motorsports, Whitt, 20, is joining a No. 88 team that finished fourth in the championship standings in 2011.

“We feel fortunate to be a part of the initiative to drive awareness of HendrickCars.com and the new inventory of cars,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Vice President of JR Motorsports. “We pride ourselves on having assets both on and off the track to support our sponsors’ marketing goals. HendrickCars.com has such an incredible inventory of new and used cars -- literally something for everybody -- and we look forward to doing our part to help with its continued success.”

Features of the new HendrickCars.com include streamlined navigation, an expanded offering of used cars and the addition of thousands of new vehicles. The site also has added performance and classic cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles to its inventory. Customers can view detailed information for nearly 20,000 vehicles, including up to 60 images per listing.

“The HendrickCars.com ‘fleet’ is going to get some very valuable exposure over the next month,” said Richard Childress, President and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “That’ll end up delivering traffic and showing NASCAR fans what the new website has to offer. It’s a unique deal, and someone’s going to get a once-in-a-lifetime trip out of the promotion. We’re glad to be involved.”

In 2009, HendrickCars.com sponsored driver Tony Stewart in the season-opening Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Stewart led 23 laps on his way to winning the event, which drove record traffic to HendrickCars.com.

“Last time HendrickCars.com was a major sponsor of a car at Daytona, the response was overwhelming,” said Hendrick, who also is the owner of championship-winning NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports. “It was a big success and ultimately helped drive sales. If we do our part by building a great program, these sponsorships will be another business win for us.”

In 2011, HendrickCars.com was a sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott, who competes full-time in the NASCAR K&N Series East. HendrickCars.com will continue to support Elliott in 2012, along with having associate sponsor placement on the No. 5 Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne throughout the entire Sprint Cup Series season.

HendrickCars.com Primary Sponsorship Schedule:

Feb. 25, Daytona Beach, Fla., Kurt Busch, No. 1 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet (1:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Feb. 26, Daytona Beach, Fla., Kurt Busch, No. 51 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet (1 p.m. ET, FOX)

March 17, Bristol, Tenn., Cole Whitt, No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)

About HendrickCars.com:

The newly redesigned HendrickCars.com is the fastest way to research and purchase nearly 20,000 new and used cars, classic cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles from the inventory of Hendrick Automotive Group’s more than 100 franchises. For more information, please visit www.HendrickCars.com. Find HendrickCars.com on Facebook.

About Hendrick Automotive Group:

Encompassing more than 100 franchises from the Carolinas to California, Hendrick Automotive Group is one of the largest automotive retail organizations in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., the company employs more than 7,000 people across 12 states. For more information, please visit www.HendrickAuto.com.

Enter to win 2012 Indy Dream Weekend Sweepstakes

HENDRICKCARS.COM TO SPONSOR PHOENIX RACING,
JR MOTORSPORTS & RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING
IN SELECT 2012 NASCAR EVENTS

‘2012 Indy Dream Weekend’ Sweepstakes to Coincide with HendrickCars.com Re-Launch CHARLOTTE, N.C., February 13, 2012 – HendrickCars.com will sponsor three NASCAR teams in select races in early 2012. The sponsorships will promote the new-look retail automotive website, which re-launched Feb. 1, and coincide with the HendrickCars.com “2012 Indy Dream Weekend” sweepstakes.
The program will kick off during Speedweeks in Daytona Beach, Fla., with primary sponsorship of Phoenix Racing and 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch in the Feb. 25 Nationwide Series race and Feb. 26 Daytona 500. It will continue with primary sponsorship of JR Motorsports and driver Cole Whitt in the March 17 Nationwide event at Bristol, Tenn.

In addition, HendrickCars.com will be a major associate sponsor of the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet with driver Elliott Sadler in NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500.

“Last year’s Daytona 500 broadcast alone averaged more than 15 million viewers, and we expect 2012 will be even stronger,” said Rick Hendrick, Chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group, which owns HendrickCars.com. “Combined with our sponsorship in the Nationwide Series, that’s tens of millions of people seeing our brand, hearing our message and then visiting HendrickCars.com. We wanted to showcase the new site, and there’s no more effective marketing tool than NASCAR.”

In conjunction with the sponsorship, HendrickCars.com is launching the “2012 Indy Dream Weekend” sweepstakes. From Feb. 13 through March 19, visitors can log onto HendrickCars.com to register for a chance to win a weekend for two at the July 29 Sprint Cup race in Indianapolis. The winner and a guest will receive behind-the-scenes access, a tour of the historic racing venue, VIP seats in a trackside suite and more. The winner will be announced March 23 at www.HendrickCars.com.

“We’re proud to have HendrickCars.com as our primary sponsor for both races in Daytona,” said James Finch, Owner of Phoenix Racing. “The Hendrick people know how well sponsorships like this work when they’re done the right way. Daytona is a big opportunity for our team to build some positive momentum to start the season. Having a sponsor for Speedweeks means a lot to us, and we’re going to do everything we can to put HendrickCars.com up front.”

The sponsorship of Whitt pairs HendrickCars.com with an up-and-coming young driver and Nationwide Series rookie-of-the-year contender. In his first season at JR Motorsports, Whitt, 20, is joining a No. 88 team that finished fourth in the championship standings in 2011.

“We feel fortunate to be a part of the initiative to drive awareness of HendrickCars.com and the new inventory of cars,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Vice President of JR Motorsports. “We pride ourselves on having assets both on and off the track to support our sponsors’ marketing goals. HendrickCars.com has such an incredible inventory of new and used cars -- literally something for everybody -- and we look forward to doing our part to help with its continued success.”

Features of the new HendrickCars.com include streamlined navigation, an expanded offering of used cars and the addition of thousands of new vehicles. The site also has added performance and classic cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles to its inventory. Customers can view detailed information for nearly 20,000 vehicles, including up to 60 images per listing.

“The HendrickCars.com ‘fleet’ is going to get some very valuable exposure over the next month,” said Richard Childress, President and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “That’ll end up delivering traffic and showing NASCAR fans what the new website has to offer. It’s a unique deal, and someone’s going to get a once-in-a-lifetime trip out of the promotion. We’re glad to be involved.”

In 2009, HendrickCars.com sponsored driver Tony Stewart in the season-opening Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Stewart led 23 laps on his way to winning the event, which drove record traffic to HendrickCars.com.

“Last time HendrickCars.com was a major sponsor of a car at Daytona, the response was overwhelming,” said Hendrick, who also is the owner of championship-winning NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports. “It was a big success and ultimately helped drive sales. If we do our part by building a great program, these sponsorships will be another business win for us.”

In 2011, HendrickCars.com was a sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott, who competes full-time in the NASCAR K&N Series East. HendrickCars.com will continue to support Elliott in 2012, along with having associate sponsor placement on the No. 5 Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne throughout the entire Sprint Cup Series season.

HendrickCars.com Primary Sponsorship Schedule:

Feb. 25, Daytona Beach, Fla., Kurt Busch, No. 1 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet (1:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Feb. 26, Daytona Beach, Fla., Kurt Busch, No. 51 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet (1 p.m. ET, FOX)

March 17, Bristol, Tenn., Cole Whitt, No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)

About HendrickCars.com:

The newly redesigned HendrickCars.com is the fastest way to research and purchase nearly 20,000 new and used cars, classic cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles from the inventory of Hendrick Automotive Group’s more than 100 franchises. For more information, please visit www.HendrickCars.com. Find HendrickCars.com on Facebook.

About Hendrick Automotive Group:

Encompassing more than 100 franchises from the Carolinas to California, Hendrick Automotive Group is one of the largest automotive retail organizations in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., the company employs more than 7,000 people across 12 states. For more information, please visit http://www.hendrickauto.com/.

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Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3 finish 1-2-3 at Dubai

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 scored a commanding 1-2-3 in the Dubai 24-hour race (January 12th - 14th, 2012). The Abu Dhabi Black Falcon team claimed victory with Thomas Jäger (GER), Sean Edwards (ENG), Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED) and Khaled Al Qubaisi (UAE). After setting a new distance record of 628 race laps, final driver, Al Qubaisi, drove the gullwing with starting number 3 across the finish line. This first place was also the maiden victory for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in a 24-hour race.

The first of HEICO Motorsport’s Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3’s came home second, two laps down. Driving duties in the car with starting number 6 were shared by Maximilian Buhk (GER), Christiaan Frankenhout (NED), Max Nilsson (SWE), Andreas Zuber (AUT) and Bernd Schneider (GER). Schneider, the five-time DTM champion and AMG brand ambassador, drove in both of HEICO Motorsport’s cars as a part of AMG’s Customer Sports driver support program. In the team’s sister car with starting number 16, he had been entered to partner Kenneth Heyer (GER), Andreas Simonsen (SWE) and Rodolfo Gonzalez (VEN). In a dramatic finish, final driver Simonsen managed to bring a small margin home to round out the clean sweep of the podium by finishing third.

The fourth of the four SLS AMG GT3s that were entered for the race also finished among the front-runners. The Gravity Charouz Racing team with Vincent Radermecker (BEL), Loris de Sordi (BEL), Eric Lux (LUX), Gerard Lopez (ESP) and Tomas Enge (CZE) was classified seventh to complete the good overall performance for the gullwing cars.

All four Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s put their mark on the Dubai 24-hour race by showing a commanding performance from the very beginning. In the field of the 72 cars, the gullwings were among the fastest entries right away. Having started from 15th place on the grid, the Abu Dhabi Black Falcon SLS AMG GT3 moved up into the lead for the first time after two hours. Consistent fast lap times also allowed the other gullwings to move up quickly into the ranks of the front-runners.

During the night, the teams from the AMG Customer Sports program continued their largely trouble-free run on the 5.39 km long Grand Prix circuit, maintaining their fast lap times and partly alternating in the lead. After one third of the race, the gullwing with starting number 3 finally took over the lead and held on to it until it crossed the finish line.

Thomas Jäger: “This is an optimal result for the Abu Dhabi Black Falcon team. It shows in an impressive way how performant and reliable the SLS AMG GT3 is. The driver changes went perfectly and, admittedly, we also had the necessary bit of luck: we didn’t get involved in any collisions, which isn’t self-evident with so many cars on such a short track. I want to thank the entire team for a great performance.”

Marc Schramm, managing director Black Falcon: “We came to Dubai to win. That is what we have said prior to the race and we lived up to it thanks to a strong team performance. As usual, the focus of our strategy was on consistency and that worked out in a fantastic way. Of course, I am also happy with having covered a new record distance of 628 laps. Thanks to the entire team and, of course, also to Mercedes-AMG and HWA for the support.”

Bernd Schneider: “During the night, we had a minor problem, that’s why we stood in the pits for a couple of minutes. Had it not been for that, it could even have been slightly better. To be honest, I now feel a little bit knocked out after having raced with both cars, but the success more than makes up for this. After all, finishing second and third at the same time doesn’t happen every day. Congratulations also to the Abu Dhabi Black Falcon team for this well-deserved race win.”

Ola Källenius, chairman of the board, Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “This is a great success! Especially considering that the participation in Dubai was only the fifth 24-hour race for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. Today’s clean sweep of the top three is a great reward for our efforts. I sincerely want to thank our customer teams, drivers and everyone involved. I am looking for a great 2012 motor racing season!”

Most successful newcomer in the 2011 motor sport season

This year's Dubai 24-hour race marks the beginning of the second racing season for the SLS AMG GT3. In its debut year of 2011, the gullwing became probably the most successful newcomer in the 2011 motorsport season: from March 2011 on, 40 race cars were delivered to international customer teams that took part in races on four continents and won a total of 25 races. The success story was crowned by the team title of the FIA GT3 European Championship for HEICO Motorsport and its two Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s – the first title for the gullwing in its first full racing season.

The race car: performance and safety

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 is the racing version of the SLS AMG for the customer sport. It is designed for sprint and endurance races and is developed and produced by Mercedes-AMG in close cooperation with HWA AG. HWA is responsible for the development and deployment of the AMG-Mercedes DTM racing team on behalf of and in constant consultation with Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. The near-production SLS AMG GT3 provides not only an athletic performance but an exemplary level of safety that is unmatched by any other current GT3 car.

First 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible auctioned for charity

Chevrolet, team owner Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon are teaming up for the auction of the first Corvette 427 Convertible offered to the public at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale collector car auction on Saturday, Jan. 21. Watch it on SPEED at 4 p.m. ET. Proceeds from the sale will benefit AARP Foundation’s Drive to End Hunger initiative.

NOTE: This car was sold for $600,000 at the auction with proceeds going to Drive to End Hunger.