Backed By New Sponsor Levi Strauss Signature®, Davis Earns First-Place in Limited Late Model Stock Car Race at Hickory Motor Speedway.

Charlotte, NC

Marc Davis

In his debut race with the Drive for Diversity® program and Joe Gibbs Racing, 15 year-old Marc Davis won the Limited Late Model stock car race at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway on March 25, 2006. In doing so, he became just the second African-American to win a stock car race at Hickory, joining former Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Chris Bristol who won at the famed short track last April.


After starting third, Davis took the lead during the final lap and
piloted the No. 92 Levi Strauss Signature® Chevrolet to victory, making
him the first Drive for Diversity driver to win in 2006. Hickory\’s
Limited Late Model division is one of six support classes at the
historic speedway, one step below the premier NASCAR-sanctioned Late
Model Stock Cars.



“The diversity program is a real source of pride for all of us at Joe
Gibbs Racing,” said J.D. Gibbs, team president. “Thanks to Reggie
White\’s vision, our diversity program was the first to be founded and
the first to win races. It\’s a proving ground for young drivers like
Marc Davis, and already he\’s carrying on the tradition set by our
original drivers – Chris Bristol and Aric Almirola.



“Talent behind the wheel of a race car comes in all shapes, sizes,
creeds and colors. The program\’s success has allowed the company to
think long term, because we have some really good drivers developing on
the grassroots level. Their success will ensure this team\’s success now
and in the years to come.”
With early momentum on his side, Davis will continue his season at Hickory Motor Speedway for the remainder of 2006.“Joe Gibbs Racing and Levis Strauss Signature have given me a wonderful
opportunity and I\’m looking forward to an awesome year and great things
to come,” added Davis.



Davis\’ win was the first of 18 races that Levi Strauss Signature will
serve as either his primary or associate sponsor during the 2006
season. Levi Strauss Signature is a mass channel apparel brand marketed
towards families and an associate sponsor of reigning Daytona 500
champion Jimmie Johnson. Levi Strauss Signature is also an official
partner of NASCAR.



“Levi Strauss Signature is proud to partner with a young and talented
driver in Marc Davis,” said Scott LaPorta, President, Levi Strauss
Signature brand. “We congratulate Marc on his historic victory Saturday
night and look forward to achieving greater success together in 2006.”



“We are excited about our new partnership with Levi Strauss Signature
and Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Bryan Kryder, Director of the Drive for
Diversity program. “Levi Strauss Signature is such a trusted
corporation, and with Joe Gibbs Racing – leaders in motorsports and
diversity efforts – it\’s great having them join forces to help develop
such a talented driver. “Marc is an exceptional young man ‚Äî a fun-loving, humble individual who on the race track is a truly ambitious competitor.”



Davis, a native of Mitchellville, Md., already has several
championships under his belt, most recently the 2005 NASA (National
Auto Sport Association) Road Course Points Championship in the Super
Unlimited Division. Davis also added team ownership to his roster in
2005. While still a sophomore at Lake Norman High School in
Mooresville, N.C., he currently owns a team in the Florida
FASTkids/Fastrucks Series and a Limited Late Model team at South Boston
(Va.) Speedway. All the while, he maintains excellent grades while
being an active member of SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving).


Joe Gibbs Racing


Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR,
currently fielding three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams, three NASCAR
Busch Series teams and a NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series team.


Its driver lineup consists of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley
in Nextel Cup, Hamlin and Yeley in Busch, and Marc Davis in the NASCAR
Dodge Weekly Series. Development drivers also under contract to JGR are
Aric Almirola in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, along with Woody
Howard and Joey Logano, both of whom compete in the USAR Hooters Pro
Cup Series.



In partnership with the late Reggie White, a Hall of Fame defensive end
who played in the National Football League, JGR formed the NASCAR Dodge
Weekly Series team as part of its diversity program. It is a grassroots
stock car team that identifies and assists minorities with the desire
and talent to make a career in motorsports.


Based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs – a three-time
Super Bowl-winning coach, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and
current coach of the Washington Redskins – JGR has competed in NASCAR
since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships and over 50 NASCAR
races, including two Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500.

 

Drive for Diversity



Drive for Diversity is an ethnic and gender minority driver and crew
member development program created and managed by Access Marketing
& Communications, a Charlotte-based multicultural marketing firm
founded in 2003 by The Radiate Group and Calhoun Enterprises. In 2006,
the program will support eight drivers in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly
Series and 12 crewmembers in the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series. Drive for Diversity is an initial step in a
long-term solution to diversify NASCAR\’s participant and audience base.
For more information, please visit http://www.drivefordiversity.com