Celebrity DRIVE4COPD Team to Compete in Four-Day, Cross-Country Road Race to Find the Missing Millions Who May Be at Risk for COPD

DAYTONA, Fla., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ --

WHAT:

The DRIVE4COPD Race Team of Jim Belushi, Bruce Jenner, Patty Loveless and Michael Strahan are beginning a cross-country race to find people who may be at risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and don't know it. The goal: to screen at least 1 million people this year on DRIVE4COPD.COM.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/drive4copd/41918/

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100209/MM51220 )

To kick off this DRIVE4COPD "Race for the Missing Millions," the drivers will compete in a four-day competition, spanning 6,000 miles via four different routes. The Race Team* will start from the Daytona International Speedway and hit 14 designated "Pit Stops" along the way.

As the official healthcare initiative of NASCAR®, the 2010 NASCAR season opens with the DRIVE4COPD 300, the first race of the Nationwide Series™.  As part of the opening festivities, GRAMMY-award winning country music singer Patty Loveless will debut her brand-new single and campaign song, "Drive," and the DRIVE4COPD Race Team will take a warm-up lap around the Daytona racetrack before heading out on their road race.

NASCAR has teamed up with the American Lung Association, the COPD Foundation and founding sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for the multi-year public health initiative that aims to raise awareness of COPD and encourage those who may be at risk to speak with their doctors.

All people who log onto DRIVE4COPD.COM and take the five-question screener will be eligible to enter for a chance to win an Ultimate NASCAR® Weekend** in Daytona.

WHO:

• Danica Patrick, the first woman to win a major closed-course auto race, is leading the race team in honor of her grandmother;  Patrick is the ambassador for the program and helped prepare the DRIVE4COPD racers
• Emmy-nominated actor Jim Belushi is racing in memory of his father who had COPD and his aunt currently living with the disease
• Olympic Gold Medalist Bruce Jenner is racing in honor of his wife's grandparents
• GRAMMY Award-winning country music star Patty Loveless is racing in honor of her sister
• Former Pro Football Star Michael Strahan is racing in memory of his uncle

WHY:

Patrick, Belushi, Jenner, Loveless and Strahan each helplessly watched family members struggle for air as they lost their ability to breathe due to COPD.  And they aren't alone:

As many as 24 million Americans have COPD – even those who haven't smoked in years – and half of them are not diagnosed (12 million).

• COPD is the fourth leading cause of death and the only one increasing in prevalence.
• COPD kills more people each year than breast cancer and diabetes combined.
• Those at risk include people 35 years of age or older or those who have smoked more than 100 cigarettes in a lifetime.

Due to its gradual onset, many patients are not diagnosed until they are hospitalized or require emergency care to treat the disease. By that time, they may have lost half of their lung function. Early diagnosis of COPD is critical, as lung damage is not reversible but is treatable when managed with a doctor.

WHEN/WHERE:

DRIVE4COPD Press Briefing – ALL DRIVERS

Saturday, Feb. 13, 9AM

Deadline Room/Media Center

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona, FL

East Coast Route – JIM BELUSHI

Sunday, Feb. 14 – Raleigh, NC, Triangle Town Center from 1:00 – 4:00 PM EST

Monday, Feb. 15 – Washington, DC, Fashion Centre at Pentagon City from 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM EST

Tuesday, Feb. 16 – Boston, MA, Copley Place from 12:30 – 3:30 PM EST

Heartland Route – MICHAEL STRAHAN

Sunday, Feb. 14 – Charlotte, NC, SouthPark Mall from 12:30 – 3:30 PM EST

Monday, Feb. 15 – Pittsburgh, PA, Ross Park Mall from 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM EST

Monday, Feb. 15 – Cleveland, OH, Great Lakes Mall from 5:00 – 8:00 PM EST

Tuesday, Feb. 16 – Detroit, MI, Lakeside Mall from 12:30 – 3:30 PM EST

Midwest Route – PATTY LOVELESS

Sunday, Feb. 14 – Atlanta, GA, Lenox Square from 12:00 – 3:00 PM EST

Monday, Feb. 15 – Nashville, TN, Opry Mills from 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM CST

Tuesday, Feb. 16 – Chicago, IL, Water Tower Place from 12:00  - 3:00 PM CST

Southwest Route – BRUCE JENNER

Sunday, Feb. 14 – Dallas, TX, Grapevine Mills from 12:00 – 3:00 PM CST

Monday, Feb. 15 – Las Vegas, NV, Fashion Show from 4:00 – 7:00 PM PST

Tuesday, Feb. 16 – Los Angeles, CA, Hollywood & Highland Center from 12:00 - 3:00 PM PST

*The Race Team members are paid spokespeople of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

**No Purchase Necessary. Program starts 2/3/10 & ends 5/1/10. Open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S. (including DC) who are 35 years of age or older at the time of entry. This Program is void in Puerto Rico & where prohibited. For official rules & complete details visit www.DRIVE4COPD.com. NASCAR, Inc. is not a sponsor of this promotion.

DRIVE4COPD is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

NASCAR® is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc.

©2010 Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All rights reserved.

DRIVE4COPD is a trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.