Mark Thomas Tulsa preview

ETHANOL-SPONSORED MARK THOMAS ENTERS TULSA NITRO JAM IN CHAMPIONSHIP FORM
Ohio Farmer Promotes Alternative Fuels at Drag Racing Event

NORWALK, Ohio (May 11, 2007) – Alcohol Funny Car driver Mark Thomas divides his time between his two passions: drag racing and farming.

Growing up on the family farm located just outside Canton, Ohio, Thomas, 48, has grown it into one of the largest in the state. His success on the track speaks for itself: 6 world championships and 27 career wins, the most in the history of the class.

He’s found a unique way to combine his two passions. Spending his weekdays on the farm and weekends at the track, Thomas uses his race car as a 250 mph billboard promoting the ethanol industry, a sponsorship that began with the Ohio Corn Growers Association nearly 20 years ago.

Thomas, the defending Alcohol Funny Car world champion, will be competing May 25 – 27 at Tulsa Raceway Park during the upcoming Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series event, the Skull Shine Sooner Nationals presented by Wolverine and Academy Sports + Outdoors. The race marks the first national event drag race to be hosted at Tulsa Raceway Park in the modern era. Thomas finished runner-up to Jimmy Rector at a national event in Tulsa in 1996. (Buy Tickets: http://www.ihra.com/results/2007/nitrojam.html).

“I love that area of the country,” said Thomas. “Tulsa is a neat place to go, a neat place to race. The fans are great. I raced there before and really enjoyed the place. I look forward to going back there.”

Despite sitting second in the current point standings, behind recent standout Terry Munroe, Thomas is in fine position to be in the hunt by the final race of the season, October 19-21 in Rockingham, N.C. The odds always seem to be with him. His racing career spans three decades. He won his first world championship in 1990.

“Both Terry (Munroe) and I have been in both of the finals this year. We each have a win and a runner-up,” said Thomas. “We are finally hitting our stride and figuring this hot rod out. We had some issues with it last year not being as consistently fast as we wanted it to be. But all of a sudden we found some new things and we are making it go fast. And when it’s consistent it means you can keep working on making it faster.”

In addition to racing and farming, Thomas spends a lot of time promoting alternative fuels. He’s made appearances on Capitol Hill and various corporate speaking engagements, displaying the ethanol image painted on the side of his car. Thomas believes in the ethanol industry and proudly campaigns its message, along with supporting various corn growers associations.

“Nobody likes the turmoil in the Middle East, and with ethanol, we can support the Midwest, not the Middle East. We can keep the money in our country,” added Thomas.

For more information on the Skull Shine Sooner Nationals presented by Wolverine and Academy Sports + Outdoors, please visit www.ihra.com or www.tulsaracewaypark.com. Media requests can be sent to Travis Reynolds at (419) 706-8631 or travisreynolds@livenation.com.

About IHRA

Headquartered in Norwalk, Ohio, the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), a division of Live Nation, promotes professional, semi-professional and local level racing opportunities for drivers at all levels. The $19.5 million Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series is an 11-event North American professional drag racing circuit. In 2007, the series will be comprised of eight events in major cities throughout the United States and three in Canada. The Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Championship presented by Mr. Gasket consists of competition at national events and 40 events in six regional divisions, while IHRA’s Summit SuperSeries is conducted nearly every weekend at over 70 IHRA-sanctioned tracks. Providing a safe environment to develop future stars, IHRA offers the Junior Dragster Racing Series for youths ages 8-17. Stand-alone events include Live Nation’s entertainment-filled “Thunder Jam” shows and the street legal racing and lifestyle event series Kumho Street Warriorz presented by Hooters. More information can be found at www.ihra.com.

About Live Nation

Live Nation is the world's largest live music company. Our mission is to inspire passion for live music around the world. We are the largest promoter of live concerts in the world, the second-largest entertainment venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. We strive to create superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, we own, operate, have booking rights for and/or have an equity interest in more than 160 venues, including House of Blues® music venues and prestigious locations such as The Fillmore in San Francisco, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London’s Wembley Arena. Our websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment/event websites in the United States, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. In addition, we also produce, promote or host theatrical, specialized motor sports and other live entertainment events. In 2006, we connected nearly 60 million fans with their favorite performers at approximately 26,000 events in 18 countries around the world. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.”



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