Contact: Matthew Louck

Media Release Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour® Gears Up for the 2008 “America the Beautiful” Tour Over four thousand vehicles will make history on a 7-city, 8-day drive through the heart of America. The Pages of Hot Rod Magazine come to life in Ames Wednesday, June 11th

(AMES, IA) The 2008 Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour® presented by GM Performance Division and co-sponsored by Flowmaster Exhaust will make a late-spring journey starting in the South, rolling through the Great Plains, and ending in the Upper Midwest. The annual caravan of thousands of vehicles ranging from classic hot rods to late-model performance rides will launch from Little Rock, the capital city of Arkansas, at the Arkansas Fairgrounds on Saturday June 7th and cruise through the heartland of America on the way to a final destination in another state capital, Madison, Wisconsin on Friday June 13th. When the lovingly-prepared vehicles enter the parking lots of the Iowa State Center in Ames, on the fifth stop on Wednesday, June 11, 2008, they will focus the attention of the automotive world on Ames. The enthusiastic drivers and travel companions making the tour will make a significant impact on the local economy when they roll into Ames. For anyone who loves great cars this parade of power, performance, styling, and beauty will mean a full afternoon and evening of meeting, greeting, admiring, and showing off as these thousands of high-end automotive masterpieces come to town. The Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau played an instrumental role in securing the tour stop and is a major sponsor of the day. Seann DeMaris, conference sales coordinator-sports for the bureau says: “The central location and easy accessibility of Ames plus the wonderful facilities of the ISU Center make Ames a great location for the Hot Rod Power Tour. We continue to draw an increasing number of new and unique events for the enjoyment of area residents and visitors. There

For Immediate Release

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have been other car shows hosted here, but the Hot Rod Power Tour far exceeds previous shows. With great cars and free admission, we expect a large turnout at this outstanding event. While a large number of the participants in the tour make the “long haul” and complete all the stops, others rendezvous with the tour and come along for shorter portions of the journey. At each stopover, local enthusiasts by the thousands come to display their vehicles for the day and take in the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour experience.

The Iowa Street Rod & Custom Association is the official host club for the Ames, IA stop. The club will be providing volunteers to assist in the details of getting the many visitors into the event. John Vetter of Ames, state representative for the 800-member club says: “We’re the largest organization of hot rod and custom car lovers in the state of Iowa. We were founded in 1970 and the news that the Hot Rod Power Tour is coming to town is one of the highlights in the history of our hobby. There are a ton of us around here who are quite excited. As a matter of fact, the majority of my friends are going down to start the whole thing off in Little Rock and make the long haul.”

The Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour is a traveling aftermarket fair.

In addition to the enthusiasts making the tour or stopping in for a day, 50 of the world’s premiere automotive and aftermarket parts manufacturers also come along. At each stopover city, these companies set up a huge midway filled with their latest performance parts and specialty service wares. Every day, tents and displays are set up, cars are polished, the stories of the day’s trip are shared, prizes are won, knowledge is imparted, and memories are made as this huge assemblage brings the pages of Hot Rod Magazine to life. The GM Performance Division can be counted on to bring along the latest never-before-seen project vehicles. Performance exhaust maker DynoMax will stage its second-annual “Power to the Wheels” Dyno Challenge horsepower competition at each stop. Extra-special cars like Tonight Show” host Jay Leno’s modified Corvette Z06 that is capable of running on E85 ethanol will complete the daily driving segment and then be on display. To document the event, Hot Rod editorial staffers will take thousands of photos and collect the stories of the road for their extensive post-tour coverage in the magazine and on the daily-updated www.hotrod.com. Hot Rod Magazine Publisher Bruce Miller commented, “I have spoken with hundreds of “Long Haulers”™ who are genuinely excited. They are calling the ’08 tour-The America the Beautiful Tour as we travel the amber waves of grain in Kansas and Nebraska and travel through the one-of-a-kind Ozark foothills. The tour will showcase America’s beauty. We fully expect that thousands of automotive enthusiasts from all over the country will come out to see our traveling automotive collection Page 3 Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour® 2008 visits Ames, IA

of priceless high-end performance and specialty hot rods. Everyone has a connection with a classic car. So many people share the memory of cruising their hometown main drag or the local drive-in. The Power Tour welcomes everyone with a connection to America’s love affair with the automobile, even the casual enthusiast, as the event is open free to all spectators at each stop.”

Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour 2008 itinerary:

The tour will start at Little Rock and visits America’s heartland and four state capitals including the final stop in Madison, Wisconsin.

Stop #1 Saturday, June 7 Little Rock, Arkansas -- Arkansas State Fair Complex

Stop #2 Sunday, June 8 Springfield, Missouri -- Missouri Entertainment and Event Center

Stop #3 Monday June 9 Topeka, Kansas -- Heartland Park

Stop #4 Tuesday, June 10 Lincoln, Nebraska -- Nebraska State Fair Park

Stop #5 Wednesday, June 11 Ames, Iowa -- Iowa State Center

Stop#6 Thursday, June 12 Rochester, Minnesota -- Rochester Community and Technical College

Stop#7 Friday, June 13 Madison, Wisconsin -- Alliant Energy Center

Registration information:

Pre-registration to travel the entire Power Tour as a “long hauler in your own vehicle” is $65 prior to May 30, 2008. Registration includes a vehicle decal, credentials for the driver and one passenger, plus all tour stops and activities. Enthusiasts who want to show their car to Hot Rod editors for just one day can do that in Ames as well. A special one-day rate is available for $25, which includes entry to the event and the opportunity to experience the fun. The one-day rate includes a vehicle decal and credential for the driver and one passenger. For the latest information and to pre-register, call 1-877-413-6515 or visit www.hotrod.com . -END- Page 4 Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour® 2008 visits Ames, IA

About HOT ROD:

Published by SOURCE INTERLINK, HOT ROD Magazine is the world’s largest and most influential automotive performance publication reaching more than 6.9 million people per month. HOT ROD is a powerful brand that spawned an industry more than 60 years ago and now includes HOT ROD Television, airing nationally on SPEED, and www.hotrod.com

Media contacts:

Contact: Jessica Hubley Contact: Matthew Louck 838 N. Delaware St. The Promotion Co.-Family Events The Promotion Co.-Family Events Indianapolis, IN 46204 Phone 317-716-2678 Phone 317-236-6515 ext. 5488 Fax 317-236-6519 [email protected] [email protected] www.familyevents.com