ATLANTA, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The second half of the race season is underway and the top drivers are positioning themselves for a run at the championship. Cingular Wireless, primary sponsor of the No. 31 Chevrolet driven by Jeff Burton, is giving one lucky fan a chance to experience all of this excitement in person VIP-style at the last race of the season in Homestead, Fla. Cingular "Race Talk," which launches this month during motorsports coverage on NBC and TNT, gives viewers the chance to win a chartered VIP trip to Miami, spending money and a customized No. 31 Cingular- branded golf cart.
The sweepstakes is part of Cingular's popular on-air polling program that will air through November on race telecasts on NBC and TNT. Viewers are prompted to text message "RACE" to 191 and answer a race-specific question, with the results revealed on-air during the race broadcast. Each participant receives one entry into the sweepstakes for every "Race Talk" poll response submitted. Consumers can also opt-in to play racing-themed trivia, with each question answered counting for one additional contest entry. A grand prize winner will be randomly selected to receive a flight and accommodations for two to Miami, a VIP experience to the race in Homestead on November 19, $10,000 spending money and a special No. 31 Cingular-branded golf cart, similar to the one used by Burton in television advertisements for Cingular's MEdia Net service. Information about the sweepstakes can be obtained at cingular31.com.
"This program fits in with our strategy of using our motorsports involvement to offer fans creative ways to experience the excitement of stock car racing in a format that is unique to Cingular," said Tim McGhee, Cingular director of national sponsorships. "Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Cingular Chevrolet are having an impressive season and the second half of the year is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling yet for TEAM Cingular."
During the first half of the race season Cingular's Virtual Crew Chief, broadcast during race telecasts on FOX and FX, gave viewers the opportunity to answer poll questions for the chance to "Win Jeff Burton's Pay-Day" at the race in Daytona Beach, Fla., on July 1. Russell Tillson of Virginia Beach, Va., was the grand prize winner in the "Win Jeff Burton's Pay-Day" sweepstakes after being randomly selected from more than one million entries. Burton's 15th place finish in that race earned Tillson a $122,920 pay-day.
This year marks Cingular's fifth season as a primary sponsor of the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and Burton's second year behind the wheel. He currently ranks third in the Cup Series point standings, buoyed by four Top 5 finishes and 13 Top 10 finishes. For his career he has 17 victories, four poles, 98 top-five and 167 top-10 finishes and finished in the top-10 in the Cup point standings from 1997-2001.
