BUSCH: Dr. Pepper and Dr. J.

Dr Pepper Sponsors NASCAR Race Car Washington Erving Motorsports to Debut First Minority-Owned NASCAR Racer in a Quarter Century At Daytona Beach In February

SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr Pepper Company today announced the soft drink company will sponsor Washington Erving Motorsports' Ford race car on NASCAR's Busch Grand National circuit in 1998. The agreement between Dr Pepper and Washington Erving Motorsports marks the first time the soft drink brand has sponsored a race car, and provides financial support for the first minority-owned NASCAR race team to compete full-time on the circuit in more than 25 years. The announcement came at the Dr Pepper Company annual bottlers meeting in San Antonio. "This is an exciting opportunity for Dr Pepper to get involved in one of the fastest growing sports in the world," stated Dr Pepper President and Chief Operating Officer Jack Kilduff. "We are also delighted to support Washington Erving Motorsports' Ford Taurus race car on one of the most popular NASCAR circuits in 1998, and we look forward to a winning partnership." In May, Washington Erving Motorsports and Ford Motor Company announced a partnership agreement which resulted in the first wholly minority-owned, full-time racing team in the last 25 years of Winston Cup racing. Washington Erving Motorsports is owned by former National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) stars Julius "Dr. J" Erving and Joe Washington respectively, in addition to North Carolina businesspersons Kathy Thompson and Fields Jackson, Jr., and Philadelphia businessperson Asa Murray. "We're in this sport to win," stated Washington, "and forging mutually beneficial partnerships with the right sponsors, like Dr Pepper, is how we intend to win races and championships." The maroon Dr Pepper-sponsored Taurus will debut in February at Daytona Beach, Fla., during Speedweeks, '98, driven by 20-year-old Jimmy Foster. Foster won more than 200 races at a dozen Florida tracks by age 15. He was Rookie Of The Year in NASCAR Goody's Dash Series in 1996. Dr Pepper maintains the number one trademark position among non-cola soft drinks in the U.S., and is in its 13th consecutive year of volume growth. As a unit of Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., Dr Pepper also sponsors the Big 12 Conference, Big 12 and Southeast Conference (SEC) championship football games, Cotton Bowl football game, Tournament of Roses Parade, LPGA golfer Dottie Pepper and WNBA basketball star Sheryl Swoopes. DR PEPPER/NASCAR VIDEO NEWS RELEASE VIA SATELLITE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1997 16:00 TO 16:15 EST A Dr Pepper video news release (VNR), approximately seven (7) minutes long will be available from a satellite feed later today. The VNR is about Dr Pepper Company's sponsorship of a NASCAR race car owned by Washington Erving Motorsports (including former NBA great Julius Erving and former NFL star Joe Washington). The VNR will be fed via satellite twice during the 15- minute window, and will include comments by Washington, Erving, race car driver Jimmy Foster and Dr Pepper President Jack Kilduff, plus footage of the car roll-out earlier today at Dr Pepper Company's annual bottlers meeting in San Antonio, Texas. DATE: Friday, September 19, 1997 SATELLITE FEED TIME: 16:00 TO 16:15 COORDINATES: GE2 Transponder 20 C Band AUDIO: 6.2 - 6.8 CONTACTS: Philippa Dworkin, 214-360-7691 or Mike Martin, 214-365-8470, both of Dr Pepper; or Asa Murray of Washington Erving Motorsports, 910-956-3740. SOURCE Dr Pepper Company -0- 09/19/97