Mark Wahlberg, Mario and Michael Andretti Team Up for First-Ever Indy 500 'IZOD Fastest Seat in Sports'

NEW YORK, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation (NYSE: PVH) announced today on behalf of its IZOD brand, sponsor of the IZOD IndyCar Series, that Mark Wahlberg, award winning actor and producer, will join the field at the start of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 – "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing®."  Michael Andretti will drive Wahlberg in the custom-built, two-seat Indy car billed as the "IZOD Fastest Seat in Sports," as Mario Andretti, 1969 Indy 500 winner, coaches the two by radio from the IZOD Performance Pit.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100525/CG10501)

Andretti and Wahlberg will follow four parade cars and lead the official pace car and the 33-car field of IZOD IndyCars on three parade laps.  Once the parade cars exit the circuit, the two-seat race car will round the track at nearly 200 mph to catch the field from behind as the field takes the green flag for the most famous race in the world.  This historic moment, which marks the first time in modern history that a driver and passenger will join the field of the Indy 500, will be captured live on ABC at Noon EST on May 30, 2010.

"This sport is incredible.  I was blown away at the Long Beach Grand Prix by the speed and skill of these drivers – I've had the racing bug ever since," said Mark Wahlberg, Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actor, producer and AquaHydrate business partner.  "My career has taken me down many amazing roads, but nothing compares to this. This should be the ride of my life."

Indeed, at speeds close to 200 mph, Wahlberg will endure G-forces equal to a space shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral as he rounds the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway track, travelling the length of a football field in less than a second. To capture the experience, the "No. 1st IZOD Fastest Seat in Sports" Indy race car will be equipped with cameras and microphones to capture every moment of Wahlberg and Andretti's famous laps.  Exclusive footage, unique camera shots, in-car audio and pre- and post-race interviews will be available to fans, courtesy of Indy racing sponsor IZOD, after the race on www.racetotheparty.com.  

"We've got three heavyweights making history – Mark Wahlberg, a Hollywood leading man who, for this ride, is professionally trained for an upcoming movie and in the best shape of his life, alongside Mario Andretti, one of the best to ever drive a race car and Michael Andretti, former driver and owner of Andretti Autosport," said Mike Kelly, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, the worldwide owner of the IZOD brand.  "We're really proud to have these guys on our team and on the track for the first "IZOD Fastest Seat in Sports" event. What a great place to be during an event like this. I would think it's like suiting up with a Super Bowl team and chasing the kicker."

The 2010 Indy 500 marks the on-track premier of the "IZOD Fastest Seat in Sports" Indy race car, a custom-built, two-seat Indy car, and the "IZOD Fastest Seat in Sports" experience.  The car will continue its on-track tour at IZOD IndyCar Series events across America and Canada and IZOD will continue to sponsor "Fastest Seat in Sports" events, including promotions that will offer race fans the opportunity to experience this once-in-a-lifetime moment themselves.  AquaHydrate is partnering with IZOD on these promotions.  Special announcements will be made during the Indy 500 broadcast with details.    

Since taking the title sponsor role for the IndyCar Series, IZOD has aggressively promoted the sport in an advertising campaign mixing the sport and its drivers with the classic IZOD brand lifestyle.  The campaign titled "Race to the Party" features a series of 30-second commercials featuring IZOD IndyCar drivers – Tony Kanaan, Dan Wheldon, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti, racing different high-speed vehicles to a party.  A special Indy 500 two-minute commercial continues the campaign and features cameos from Mark Wahlberg and Mario Andretti – who lend their star power to the storyline linking the Indy 500 "IZOD Fastest Seat in Sports" event to the campaign.

Wahlberg and Andretti will make various promotional appearances in New York, Boston and Indianapolis with the "No. 1st IZOD Fastest Seat in Sports" Honda Indy car leading up to the Indy 500.

About the IZOD IndyCar Series:

The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier open-wheel series in the United States, competing on a challenging combination of superspeedways, short ovals, scenic road courses and temporary street circuits. In 2010 the IndyCar Series will conduct 13 races in the U.S., two in Canada and one both in Japan and Brazil, all available worldwide through comprehensive, long-term agreements with ABC and VERSUS in high-definition. The IZOD IndyCar Series continues to the be the fastest and most competitive racing series, attracting a diverse lineup of drivers including Marco Andretti, Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick, Graham Rahal and Dan Wheldon. A leader in motorsports technology, the IZOD IndyCar Series is the first racing series to power its Honda engines on 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol, a renewable and environmentally friendly fuel.

In November 2009, PVH announced a six-year agreement with the Indy Racing League as the title sponsor of the newly named IZOD IndyCar Series. The sponsorship expanded the July 2008 agreement with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League that designated the IZOD brand as the official apparel sponsor of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights. In this capacity, PVH provides apparel to Indy Racing League executives and crew – from pit officials and track flagmen to the on-air broadcast talent and track announcers.

For more information on the IZOD IndyCar Series, visit www.indycar.com

About IZOD and Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation:

IZOD, one of the United States' best-known and best-selling apparel brands, is known for its sport-inspired, clean designs and colorful product lines. With a history in the United States dating back to the 1930s, the IZOD brand is licensed to 21 companies in the U.S. and 17 other countries. IZOD brand products include apparel and accessories for men, women, and children, soft home goods and men's fragrance. The IZOD brand offerings include products sold under the IZOD PerformX (technical and performance fabricated sportswear), IZOD Jeans, and IZOD LX (a luxury sportswear collection sold exclusively at Macy's) sub brands, which are sold in over 6,000 retail venues worldwide, including department, specialty and company-operated stores. Visit www.izod.com.

Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, one of the world's largest apparel companies, owns and markets the iconic Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands worldwide.  It is the world's largest shirt and neckwear company and markets a variety of goods under its own brands, Van Heusen, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, IZOD, ARROW, Bass and G.H. Bass & Co., and its licensed brands, including Geoffrey Beene, Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, MICHAEL Michael Kors, Sean John, Chaps, Trump, JOE Joseph Abboud, DKNY and Timberland. Visit www.pvh.com.

About AquaHydrate:

AquaHydrate, the first high-performance sports water, is uniquely engineered, made of ultra pure water, all-natural ionic minerals, electrolytes and an alkaline pH.  When athletes drink AquaHydrate on a regular basis, they notice significant improvements in their focus, sports performance and ability to recover after intense workouts and competition.

AquaHydrate is available through a variety of grocery, health and natural foods stores throughout the U.S. and through the website.  To find a store nearest you that carries AquaHydrate, visit the AquaHydrate website at www.aquahydrate.com.  Take the AquaHydrate Challenge and replace your beverages with AquaHydrate for six days (drink as close to 2 liters per day as possible) and feel the difference.

SOURCE IZOD