Grand Prix of Houston Announces 2007 Sponsors

HOUSTON – The Grand Prix of Houston will roar back to JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park on April 20-22, and along with the high-speed cars of Champ Car and American Le Mans the event will bring a strong roster of corporate sponsors. The Grand Prix announced today the complete lineup of official sponsors for the 2007 Grand Prix of Houston: AAA, AutoMart, Aztec Party & Tent Rentals, Budweiser, Bi-Rite Furniture, Choice Homes, Clear Channel, DeMontrond Automotive Group, DXDetroit, Fast Trac Transportation, Fiesta Marts, Gables Corporate Accommodations, Greater Houston Convention & Visitor's Bureau, Houston Chronicle, Hyatt Regency Houston, JAG Flocomponents, Lowe's, Mazda, Sun Coast Resources, Tejas Office Products, and the Uniform Connection.

This list of corporate sponsors represents a very strong sales effort by the Grand Prix team and a substantial increase over last year's inaugural race at Reliant Park. Sales for the various corporate hospitality offerings at the Grand Prix – Pit Lane Suites, Executive Chalets, hospitality tents and Stadium Balcony Club – are also up more than 35%. Organizers are very pleased with the strong growth of corporate involvement in the race.

"The support of the local business community is vital to the success of our event, so we are delighted that these great partners have stepped up in support the Grand Prix of Houston," said Chuck Kosich, General Manager of the Grand Prix. "We are committed to building the Grand Prix of Houston into one of the premier motorsports events in North America, and having this strong sponsor backing will enable us to do that."

JAG Flocomponents, a leading manufacturer of valves for the energy and petrochemical industries, was announced last month as the largest sponsor to date for the Grand Prix and the new naming-rights sponsor for the racetrack, which is now called JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park. JAG is joined by Mazda and Budweiser as the three Featured Sponsors for the Grand Prix.

"We are proud of all our corporate partnerships, and in particular we are thrilled to have the three great featured sponsors associated with our event," said Michael Heckman, Director of Corporate Sales for the Grand Prix of Houston. "JAG Flocomponents, Budweiser, and Mazda represent two of the best-known consumer brands in the world as well as a true innovator in the energy and petrochemical industry. We could not be more happy with their support of the Grand Prix."

Fast Trac Transportation, a fast growing Houston-based company, will also make its presence felt at the Grand Prix of Houston as the title sponsor of the event's Atlantic Series race, to be called the Fast Trac 100. Fast Trac, a leading industrial and airfreight transportation company, will proudly display the Fast Trac 100 and Grand Prix of Houston logos on each of the 100+ trucks that make up the company's transportation fleet.

The four pedestrian bridges that will enable the thousands of fans at the Grand Prix of Houston to cross over the track into the infield will bear the corporate trademarks of some of the key Grand Prix sponsors. The Mazda Bridge, Budweiser Bridge, JAGFlo Bridge, and GHCVB Bridge will all greet fans when the gates open on April 20.

Choice Homes is a new sponsor of the Grand Prix of Houston and will be the title sponsor of the Choice Homes Family Fun & Sports Zone at the Grand Prix. The Choice Homes Family Fun & Sports Zone will be an interactive entertainment zone for kids of all ages, and will include activities such as inflatables, Micro Reality racecars, a mechanical bull, and displays from Sony Playstation and NASA.

Fiesta Marts returns as the Official Grocer of the Grand Prix of Houston, and for 2007 the company will sponsor the Fiesta Grandstand at the Grand Prix. The Fiesta Grandstand will be located at Turn 4 and will give fans a great view of this exciting turn at a low price. Tickets for the Fiesta Grandstand are available at all Houston-area Fiesta stores for just $5.

The Hyatt Regency Houston returns as the Official Hotel of the Grand Prix of Houston and will host many race teams, series officials, and fans throughout race weekend. The Hyatt is also the host hotel for the Miss Grand Prix of Houston contest, and many of the Miss Grand Prix events will take place at the Hyatt, including the interview judging and "meet the media" press conference.