DRIVE FOR DIVERSITY: Pioneer Award at 15th Annual Urban Wheel Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Cathy Nedd 313-350-4241 pr@decisivemag.com DECISIVE MULTIMEDIA Inc. 301.850.2858

NASCAR Trailblazer Max Siegel to Receive Pioneer Award at 15th Annual Urban Wheel Awards Held in Conjunction with the North America International Auto Show Detroit - October 4, 2010 - Max Siegel, a groundbreaker for African Americans in the motorsports industry, will receive the Pioneer Award at the 15th Annual Urban Wheel Awards, at 7 pm on Sunday, January 9th at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit. NASCAR Trailblazer Max Siegel to receive Pioneer Award at 15th Annual Urban Wheel Awards. As NASCAR'S highest-ranking African-American executive, Siegel oversaw the entire DEI organization including competition, marketing, sales, sponsorships and distribution for all DEI's properties including motorsports teams, licensing, promotion, business development and the Dale Earnhardt Foundation. "Siegel embodies all of the attributes of an automotive urban pioneer," said Randi Payton, president and CEO of Decisive Media, the best source for cultural and consumer news, and organizers of the Urban Wheel Awards. "After successfully taking the reins of a major motorsports conglomerate, he is continuing to blaze a trail by reaching out to include more minorities in the sport." In 2009, Siegel formed the 909 Group, a marketing firm catering to companies and individuals in the sports and entertainment industries. NASCAR retained the firm to administer the motorsports industry-wide "Drive for Diversity" initiative, aimed at developing and introducing minority and female drivers and crew members to competitive NASCAR opportunities. Seeking to bring more credibility to NASCAR'S diversity program, Siegel developed the competition reality show, Changing Lanes for BET. The show, chronicles his search for the next generation of women and minority racing drivers. Siegel's Revolution Racing coaches, mentors and develops drivers so they may one day enjoy the same success as the pioneers of the NASCAR industry. "Motorsports have long been my passion and it is indeed an honor to receive such an award for something I truly enjoy doing," said Siegel. "I look forward to being a part of the Urban Wheel Awards and using the platform to advance the goal of including more minorities in the industry. ABOUT THE URBAN WHEEL AWARDS The Urban Wheel Awards brings together celebrities, automotive executives, international media, government representatives and the multi-cultural community to celebrate diversity in the automotive industry. According to RL Polk, consumers in the multicultural market purchase one-quarter of new vehicles annually. The Urban Wheel Awards promotes awareness of their inclusion and honors the companies and individuals who have made progress toward embracing this reality. The day's activities will begin with a multicultural-focused Green Car Show at 10 am to 3 pm, followed by a celebrity Green Carpet and VIP reception at 5 pm. The Urban Wheel Awards, which begins at 7 pm, will honor four companies for leadership in environmental and fuel-efficient technologies. Winners of the Urban Car, Urban Truck and Urban Green Vehicle of the Year will also be honored along with the Minority Supplier and Dealer of the Year, Lifetime Achievement and the Urban Pioneer of the Year. For more information, please contact Cathy Nedd at pr@decisivemag.com or 301-850-2858. Visit www.decisivemagazine.com for more information. Decisive Media is a comprehensive multimedia platform, which produces culturally relevant consumer news and information to minority consumers to help them make informed purchasing decisions on products and services. Decisive also helps companies reach this growing market by employing new media technology through the use of multiple marketing and public relations tools. A 501 (c ) (3) organization that was established in 1988, the Emerging Diversity Education Fund (formerly the Edward Davis Education Fund) provides mentoring, internships and scholarships to youth pursuing careers in communication, engineering, green professions and media. Since the organizations inception, more than 350 students have received scholarships and internships of more than $500,000. The organization also promotes diversity in various industries, including: automotive, entertainment, green and technology, to name a few. # # # www.facebook.com/maxsiegelinc

Harraka gives NASCAR's diversity program a boost

USA Today

By John Kekis, AP Sports Writer
MONTREAL — NASCAR's Drive for Diversity reaches another milestone Sunday when Paulie Harraka makes his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"I'm excited. I've definitely been looking forward to this opportunity," said the 20-year-old Harraka, who is of Syrian descent. "It's a good opportunity to learn a lot."

The program, dubbed D4D, seeks to develop minority and female drivers and crew members. Drivers take part in an evaluation combine in the fall for the opportunity to compete with an established NASCAR team at the developmental levels the following race season.

Harraka, who will be a junior engineering student at Duke University this fall, is the first D4D driver to win a race in a NASCAR regional touring division. He won twice and was 2009 rookie of the year in the NASCAR Camping World West Series.

The first test at NASCAR's second level proved somewhat difficult for the driver from Wayne, N.J. He was 36th-fastest in Saturday's first practice in 17 laps around the tricky 14-turn layout in the No. 87 Chevrolet for owner Joe Nemechek. That was nearly 4 seconds behind pace-setters Jacques Villeneuve and defending race winner Carl Edwards, and Harraka followed that with a 37th in only four laps in the final session, more than 5 seconds behind leader Max Papis.

"It's not intimidating, but it's a little frustrating because we don't have the car where I need it," Harraka said "The guys are working really hard just to try and figure out what we need to do. We've made a lot of changes. Hopefully, they're the right ones."

The crew hit on something. Harraka was second-fastest of six cars in his qualifying group and will start 31st.

Harraka and the D4D program will be featured in a documentary series called "Changing Lanes" that's scheduled to debut next week on BET Network. The eight-episode season follows a group of hopefuls vying for a spot on Max Siegel's NASCAR Revolution Racing team.

The diversity program is in its sixth season.