St. Louis Midwest Nationals sponsor announced

O'REILLY AUTO PARTS NAMED TITLE SPONSOR OF NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS AT GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

GLENDORA, Calif. (Jan. 9, 2006) -- O'Reilly Auto Parts, one of the largest specialty retailers of automotive aftermarket parts, signed a multi-year agreement with NHRA to become the title sponsor of the NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis, NHRA Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Gary Darcy, announced today.

The O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals will be held June 23-25 at the state-of-the-art quarter-mile track located just east of downtown St. Louis in Madison, Ill. The $1.8 million race will be televised by ESPN2 and is the 12th of 23 events in the 2006 NHRA POWERade Series season.

"Through its continued support of several NHRA POWERade Series national events, O'Reilly Auto Parts maintains a vital presence as a key partner in the development and growth of our sport and our fan base," Darcy said. "O'Reilly's sponsorship of the NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway further demonstrates the importance of NHRA national event sponsorships as part of the company's overall marketing strategy."

In addition to the Midwest Nationals, O'Reilly Auto Parts is the primary sponsor of five other POWERade Series events, including the O'Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park; the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway; the O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka (Kan.); the Mid-South Nationals at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park; and the O'Reilly Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas.

"We are excited to continue our great relationship with NHRA by becoming the title sponsor of the NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway," said Kevin Greven, director of motorsports marketing for O'Reilly Auto Parts. "As NHRA continues to build its profile and extend its reach in the motorsports community, we want to maintain our status as a major corporate presence. As our past marketing initiatives have demonstrated, NHRA is the perfect place for our company to do business."

O'Reilly Auto Parts is one of the largest specialty retailers of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories in the United States, serving both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets. Founded in 1957 by the O'Reilly family, the company operates more than 730 stores within the states of Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska and Illinois.

Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. It presents 23 national events through its NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The NHRA has 80,000 members and 140 member tracks. The NHRA-sanctioned sportsman and bracket racing series provide competition opportunities for drivers of all levels. The NHRA develops the stars of tomorrow by offering the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Racing Series, NHRA Summit Racing Series, NHRA Street Legal Program presented by AAA and the NHRA O'Reilly Auto Parts Jr. Drag Racing League for youths ages 8 to 17.

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