MIKE WALLACE TO DRIVE #88 M&M’S HALLOWEEN FORD AT TALLADEGA

CHARLOTTE, NC (October 2, 2007) – The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series travels to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the UAW-Ford 500. Mike Wallace will take over the driving duties of the #88 M&M’S® Halloween Ford Fusion this weekend while Ricky Rudd continues to recover from a shoulder injury which has kept him sidelined for five weeks. Along with a new driver in the #88 Ford, the car will also be sporting an M&M’s Halloween paint scheme instead of the normal Snickers colors. Halloween is an iconic American holiday and M&M’S is offering consumers the ultimate treat: the opportunity to enter and play the M&M’S Million Dollar Halloween Instant Win Game and Sweepstakes. Fans will have twice the ghoulish fun this weekend at Talladega as both the #88 Ford and the #38 Ford with David Gilliland will run the special M&M’S Halloween paint schemes in celebration of the upcoming holiday.

Quoting M&M’S Driver, Mike Wallace:
How are you feeling going to Talladega with the #88 team this weekend?

“I’m really excited going into Talladega this weekend because Robert Yates Racing and his cars have always qualified well, run up at the front of the field, and won races there. I also feel that I’ve been able to run pretty well at restrictor plate race tracks in the past so I’m looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunity to drive the #88 M&M’s Halloween Ford this weekend. My goal is to qualify well and hopefully put the team in a position to win the race or get a top-10 finish.”

This will be the debut of the Car of Tomorrow at a superspeedway; so do you foresee any challenges this weekend?

“I really only have positive thoughts going into this weekend and the debut of the Car of Tomorrow (COT) at a superspeedway. Kenny (Wallace) called me earlier and he had wanted to let me know that our car for this weekend drove extremely well a few weeks ago during the COT test at Talladega. He said it was a very quick car in regards to the other cars in the pack and he told me that it drove great. I look forward to being a part of history as its made this weekend with the COT making its debut at Talladega.”

• ABOUT MARS US:

Mars US is the United States food, snack and pet care operations of Mars, Incorporated, one of the world's leading food manufacturers. With more than $7 billion in annual sales in the U.S., the combined food, snack and pet care segments are a symbol of excellence for quality brands. Headquartered in Hackettstown, New Jersey, Mars US employs more than 9,000 associates in the United States, with 52 facilities nationwide. The company owns some of the world's favorite brands, including M&M'S® Brand, SNICKERS® Brand, UNCLE BEN'S® Brand, PEDIGREE® Brand Food for Dogs, and WHISKAS® Brand Food for Cats.

• CHASSIS #716

Chassis #716 is the Car of Tomorrow chassis the #88 M&M’S Racing team will be running this weekend for the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This is a brand new chassis for the team.