M&M'S(R) Inks Deal With NASCAR Hall of Fame(TM) to Feature Its Most Colorful Fan(TM) of NASCAR(R) Winner in New Hall

- Cynthia Peace of Havana, Ill., to be Honored During Induction Weekend in May 2010 -

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars Chocolate North America announced today that Cynthia Peace of Havana, Ill., was selected as the grand prize winner of "M&M'S® Most Colorful Fan® of NASCAR® Contest." Peace bested thousands of other colorful NASCAR fans who participated in the 24-week contest.

Peace's colorfulness will be recognized with a VIP trip for two to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series(TM) Ford 400 Championship weekend in Homestead-Miami, but more importantly, Peace will become the first fan honored in the new NASCAR Hall of Fame(TM) when the Hall opens its doors in May 2010. The opportunity to showcase Peace is part of a new partnership agreement between M&M'S® and the NASCAR Hall of Fame that includes a special branded exhibit for M&M'S® Most Colorful Fan® of NASCAR Contest.

"This is an exciting new extension to M&M'S® Most Colorful Fan® of NASCAR platform and is the ultimate 'thank you' to all the fans for their year round colorfulness," said Suzanne Beaudoin, vice president, Sponsorships and Sports Marketing, Mars Chocolate North America. "NASCAR was built on the passion of fans, so it's fitting that our most colorful fan has an opportunity to be featured in a venue that features all things NASCAR."

M&M'S® Most Colorful Fan® of NASCAR® Contest recognizes, celebrates and rewards all NASCAR fans for showcasing their colorful passion for the sport and drivers of NASCAR. The contest went live during the Daytona 500 on February 15, 2009, at NASCAR.COM, the official Web site of NASCAR. For 24 weeks, fans were able to showcase their unmatched love for the sport, as well as their favorite teams and drivers, by uploading their most colorful racing-themed photos to www.NASCAR.com/MostColorfulFan. More than seven million votes were cast over the duration of the contest this season, eclipsing the 2008 contest total votes of 360,000, a testament to the growth of the program and engagement by the race fans.

At the beginning of September, the 24 weekly winners were placed into a bracket-style "photo playoff" challenge, competing in a special head-to-head competition over a four week period where fans' votes advanced the finalists to the next round until only three remain. The three finalists then battled it out for a chance to claim this year's title. Along with the support of family and friends Cynthia's passion helped her stand out among the thousands of photos submitted, earning her the title of "The Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR."

"I've been a NASCAR fan over a decade," said Peace. "I've been hooked ever since I attended my first Busch (now Nationwide) Series race in St. Louis. I'm especially excited to share this experience with my family members in California, Oklahoma and Texas who all love NASCAR!"

For more information about The Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR Contest, visit www.facebook.com/colorfulfans or mms.com.

About Mars Chocolate North America:

Mars Chocolate North America is the United States snack operations of Mars North America. With more than $7 billion in annual sales in the United States, Mars North America includes food, snack and pet care segments, which are a symbol of excellence for quality brands. Headquartered in Mount Olive, N.J., Mars North America employs more than 12,000 associates in the United States, with 54 facilities nationwide. Mars Snackfood US, headquartered in Hackettstown, N.J., includes some of the world's favorite brands such as DOVE® Brand Chocolate, M&M'S® Brand, MILKY WAY® Brand, SKITTLES® Brand, SNICKERS® Brand, COMBOS® Snack, STARBURST® Brand, 3 MUSKETEERS® Brand, TWIX® Brand and more. Additional popular brands in the petcare and food segments for Mars North America include UNCLE BEN'S® Brand, PEDIGREE® Brand Food for Dogs, and WHISKAS® Brand Food for Cats. Please visit www.mars.com.

About the NASCAR Hall of Fame:

Opening May 11, 2010 in Uptown Charlotte, the 150,000-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, includes artifacts, interactive exhibits, 275-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, Sports Avenue retail outlet and NASCAR Media Group-operated broadcast studio. The five-acre site also includes a privately developed 19-story office tower and 102,000-square-foot expansion to the Charlotte Convention Center, highlighted by a 40,000 square-foot ballroom. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. www.nascarhall.com

About NASCAR.COM:

Turner Sports acquired all of NASCAR's interactive rights in October 2000 and became the exclusive producer of NASCAR.COM in January 2001. The official online destination of the NASCAR, the site consistently ranks among the top three sport league sites on the Internet. In 2008 NASCAR.COM was awarded a Global Media Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for RaceBuddy as the outstanding interactive platform of the year. The site has also earned an Emmy® for its TrackPass with PitCommand application in 2003.

Turner Sports, Inc., a Time Warner company, presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised and online sports programming. With events airing on TBS and TNT, Turner Sports' line-up includes NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, the NBA, Major League Baseball, professional golf, PGATour.com and PGA.com. Turner Sports also manages NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, WNBA.com, NBADLeague.com and NBA League Pass.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY to enter "M&M'S® SEEKS THE MOST COLORFUL FAN(TM) OF NASCAR" CONTEST. Contest open to legal residents of the 48 contiguous U.S. states and D.C., age 18 or older, with Internet access as of 2/13/09. Subject to Official Rules and void where prohibited. Contest Entry Period starts 12:00:00am ET on 2/15/09 and ends 11:59:59pm ET on 8/1/09. Contest ends 10/5/09. For Official Rules and entry instructions, send a SASE to: "M&M'S® SEEKS THE MOST COLORFUL FAN(TM) OF NASCAR" CONTEST, P.O. Box 11487, Bozeman, MT 59719-1487 (VT residents may omit postage) or log on to www.nascar.com/mostcolorfulfan. All federal, state and local rules apply. Sponsors: Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. and Mars Snackfood US, LLC.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY to enter or win the "M&M'S® Checkered Flag Instant Win Game". Game open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and D.C., age 18 or older as of 2/15/09, with a valid email address as of 2/13/09. Subject to full Official Rules and void where prohibited. Promotion Period starts 12:00:01 AM ET on 2/15/09 and ends 11:59:59 PM ET on 8/1/09. Additional restrictions and terms apply. For full Official Rules and entry instructions, go to https://mmscheckeredflag.icmodus.com. All federal, state and local rules apply. Sponsors: Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. and Mars Snackfood US, LLC. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Mars Chocolate North America

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