TACO BELL Gives NASCAR fans a feast for the eyes with race car unveiling at Bristol.

Company Launches First-Ever Racing Sponsorship with Drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

IRVINE, CA (Thursday, March 25, 2004) - Taco Bell® hopes to taste its first racing victory as the Company debuts its race car with NASCAR rookie sensation Martin Truex Jr. at Saturday’s Busch Series race in Bristol, Tenn.

This marks the Company’s first-ever sponsorship of the Chance 2 racing team. Taco Bell joined KFC and Long John Silver’s earlier this year to sponsor Chance 2 Motorsports, co-owned by Earnhardt Jr. and Teresa Earnhardt, and its drivers Earnhardt Jr. and Truex Jr. during the Busch Series.

“Taco Bell has proven its speed at the drive-thru, now we’re taking the challenge to the race track,” said Greg Creed, chief marketing officer, Taco Bell Corp. “Many of our customers are NASCAR racing fans so we’re hoping to add excitement to their season with our outstanding drivers.”

Both drivers will share behind-the-wheel duties for the Taco Bell-themed Chevrolet Monte Carlos during six races. Truex Jr. will drive the No. 8 Taco Bell car while Earnhardt Jr. will race No. 81.

“It’s an honor to drive the first Taco Bell car and team up with such a well-known brand,” said Truex, Jr. “I know NASCAR fans will have as much fun watching the car, as I will racing it. I’m ready to ring in a victory.”

The No. 8 car sports a paint scheme using mainly the signature Taco Bell purple color. The clean design includes the bold “Bell” icon on the hood and the Company slogan “Think Outside the Bun” represented on various panels of the car. Chance 2 crew and drivers will be outfitted in firesuits with the same colors and theme. Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 81 car will have a different paint scheme that will be revealed in Talladega, Ala.

The Taco Bell Chance 2 partnership includes national online promotions, on-site presence and much more. For more information on how the Company plans to leverage its association with Chance 2 both on and off the track, visit www.tacobell.com.

During the 2004 Busch Series, the Taco Bell car will drive in Busch races at:
Bristol, Tenn. – 3/27 (Truex)
Fort Worth, Texas – 4/3 (Truex)
Nashville, Tenn. – 4/10 (Truex)
Talladega, Ala. – 4/24 (Earnhardt)
Los Angeles, Calif. – 5/1 (Truex)
St. Louis, Mo. – 5/8 (Truex)


While Martin Truex Jr. is a relative newcomer to the NASCAR Busch Series, he ended the 2003 Busch Series season with back-to-back second-place finishes and is another of the young drivers taking NASCAR by storm. In 2004, Truex was tabbed to run his first full season in the Busch Series under the Chance 2 umbrella, and he is currently in fourth place in Busch Series points.

Taco Bell Corp., based in Irvine, California, is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. and the nation’s leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain serving tacos, burritos, signature Quesadillas, Border Bowls®, nachos and other specialty items. Taco Bell serves more than 35 million consumers each week in more than 6,000 restaurants in the U.S.

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