Los Angeles, CA – March 6, 2008 - The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, the exclusive tire supplier of NASCAR’s three largest series, awarded two local students race weekend internships at California Speedway this past weekend. Elizabeth Oliva and Stephanie Vasquez, both juniors at Santee Educational Complex in Los Angeles, worked two days in their fields of interest as part of the Goodyear Racing and Diversity Program, an initiative the company started to provide minority High School students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the many career paths associated with NASCAR. The two students were selected to participate in the race weekend from a pool of eligible students chosen with help from the Santee Educational Complex and Junior Achievement of Southern California.

"Goodyear was proud to offer Elizabeth and Stephanie the unique opportunity to experience first-hand the wide variety of career opportunities available through the sport of NASCAR," said Kris Kienzl, NASCAR Marketing Manager at Goodyear.  "Thanks to our longstanding, uninterrupted involvement with NASCAR, we were able to provide an inside look at a variety of career paths that interest them, with mentors from all over the sport, whether from NASCAR, individual race teams, tracks or Goodyear."

In its first year, the Goodyear Racing and Diversity program has already provided more than 60 high school students from across the country the chance to experience NASCAR first-hand and receive a behind-the-scenes look at a NASCAR race.

Students participating in these events had to maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and be in good standing in their school and local community to become eligible to apply for race-weekend internships.

Once selected, students are paired with several ‘mentors’ in career areas of interest to them for two, six-hour days of work. Students who complete their race-weekend internships are eligible to apply for one of six scholarships, including five $2,000 awards and one $30,000 scholarship to be used towards their continuing education. The program, offered annually in six areas including Los Angeles, Daytona Beach, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and Dover (DE), provides interested minority students with a graduated program of at-track experiences, internships and ultimately, the opportunity to receive one of six scholarships to help continue their education.

Both Elizabeth and Stephanie attended the NASCAR Busch Series race at California Speedway last September with a group of other area students, receiving a behind-the-scenes tour of the pits and Goodyear Racing’s tire operations, and watching the race from the stands. All students attending the race weekend were eligible to submit applications for the two race-day internships.

"Elizabeth and Stephanie were selected on the strength of their school records and extra-curricular activities as well as the recommendations of their teachers and were paired with established professionals whose careers match the students’ areas of interest," added Kienzl.

During Elizabeth’s three years at Santee Educational Complex she has excelled as a leader in and out of the classroom. In addition to her strong academics, Elizabeth is also an integral member of CORO, a youth leadership organization focusing on effective & ethical leadership in public affairs. During her weekend internship, Elizabeth experienced where her interests in marketing, engineering and sales could take her, having shadowed professionals from NASCAR, Goodyear and Roush Fenway Racing, among others.

Stephanie’s commitment to academic and extracurricular excellence is among her major accomplishments as a student.  Stephanie showcases her leadership qualities by mentoring students in her former elementary school, resulting in her Outstanding Achievement in Mentoring Award. During the weekend, Stephanie shadowed professionals from California Speedway, NASCAR Scene, NASCAR and Roush Fenway Racing, experiencing how her interests in event management, hospitality and sales support what happens at the track.

Over the last 50 years, Goodyear has worked to bring innovation to its racing products, which, in turn, has helped foster heightened competition on the track.

Since it first began supplying tires to NASCAR, Goodyear tires have logged 1,447 Sprint Cup Series victories, and the number continues to rise. Goodyear consumer tires are inspired by the innovations and cutting-edge technology from the race track.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), which began in 1948, is the sanctioning body for one of America’s premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – holding 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S., the No. 2-rated regular season sport on television with broadcasts in more than 150 countries, and has 75 million fans that purchase more than $2.1 billion in annual licensed product sales. These fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports and as a result, more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport. NASCAR consists of three major national series (NASCAR SPRINT Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) as well as four regional racing series. NASCAR sanctions 1,300 races at 100 tracks across more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach, NASCAR has offices in Bentonville (Ark.), Charlotte, Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City and Toronto.

About Goodyear

Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. The company employs about 70,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 26 countries around the world. For more tire information on Goodyear and its products, or to find the nearest Goodyear retailer, go to www.goodyeartires.com.

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