"While the Firestone Racing program has traveled around the world, visiting some of the finest motorsports facilities, we consider the new Nashville Superspeedway our 'home' track because it's so near our headquarters in Nashville and our manufacturing facilities in Lavergne and McMinnville," said Al Speyer, executive director of Bridgestone/Firestone Motorsports. "Being the title sponsor for the July 20 Indy Racing League event at the speedway is especially important to us, since so many of our employees in middle Tennessee will be at the event, cheering as the Firestone-equipped cars race around the 200-plus miles per hour mark.

"Motorsports continues to be an important part of our business plan, providing not only increased visibility and positive exposure to consumers but allowing our engineers to research new technologies that may find their way to our street tires. It's very exciting for us to think that something we may learn at the Firestone Indy 200 race at Nashville Superspeedway might someday go into a regular street tire. We also know our employees in middle Tennessee will leave the race with more pride in how Firestone is contributing to the fastest racing at this speedway and at other tracks across America. That's certainly an important reason why we compete and why we wanted this event - at such a great facility near our home - to wear the Firestone name."

2000 Indy Racing League champion Buddy Lazier won the inaugural Indy Racing event at Nashville Superspeedway last July. The event was sold out.

Firestone tires have been used in motorsports since 1909. Throughout the past nine decades, Firestone tires have appeared in and won virtually every top form of racing, including Indy Racing, NASCAR, Formula One, sports cars, drag racing, sprint-car racing, monster-truck racing and other forms of racing. During Indy Racing League competition in 2001, Firestone collected its record 52nd win at the Indianapolis 500 - more victories than all other tire companies competing at Indy combined. Nashville-based Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC is a subsidiary of Bridgestone/Firestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and associate and private brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America..

Nashville Superspeedway single-event tickets for the 2002 season go on sale Feb. 11 by calling toll-free, (866) RACE-TIX.