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           ANGELLE SAVOIE, ANTRON BROWN JOIN SCHUMACHER RACING

  DENVER – Three-time NHRA Pro Stock Bike world champion, Angelle Savoie, and teammate, Antron Brown, have signed on with the U.S. Army Racing NHRA team, it was announced here today.

  The new “recruits” will begin carrying the U.S. Army’s name and logo on their Pro Stock Bikes this weekend in the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.

  “U.S. Army Racing is proud to offer proven winners like Angelle and Antron an opportunity to continue their careers with our team,” said Lt. Gen. Dennis D. Cavin, commanding general for the U.S. Army Accessions Command at Fort Monroe, Va. “This very competitive team will help us better demonstrate how both racing and the U.S. Army rely on speed, power, technology and teamwork.

  “Our expansion into Pro Stock Bikes will help the Army to further develop its connection with high school, vocational and college students across all segments of the country. It also gives the Army another platform that will help expand our outreach efforts, generate leads for recruiters and expand upon our influence base (those 36-54 who influence decisions made by young Americans).”

  Savoie and Brown join Schumacher Racing Top Fuel driver, Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher, as part of the U.S. Army Racing NHRA family. The latter has been partnered with the Army since the 2000 U.S. Nationals.

  Plans call for Savoie and Brown to join “The Sarge” as keynote speakers for the NHRA’s Youth &Education Services (Y.E.S.) program, presented by the U.S. Army. The program helps kids better understand career planning and the breadth of opportunities at the track, as well as how math and science play a role in drag racing.  Savoie and Brown are also slated to make school visits with Schumacher.

  “This is unbelievable,” said Savoie of the new partnership with U.S. Army Racing and Don Schumacher. “It’s really a dream come true. We just about had to call it quits, with no money left to race. Denver was going to be our stopping point. And, that would have been real heart wrenching since Denver was where I started my career. Now, we can keep moving on. I’m so happy.”

  “It’s really great to be a part of the U.S. Army Racing and Don Schumacher Racing family,” offered Brown, who became only the second African-American to win an NHRA national event at the 1999 Castrol Nationals in Dallas. “We finally can go out and race the right way. Everything just came together at the right time for us and I’m extremely thankful for that. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than the U.S. Army.”

  Racing without a sponsor for the first half of the 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season, Savoie and Brown will now sport the traditional black and gold colors of the U.S. Army for the remaining eight races of the pro stock bike campaign under the Don Schumacher Racing umbrella.

  Savoie has posted three wins and a number one qualifying spot to date this season, while Brown has a final round appearance to his credit.

  “We’re pleased to have Angelle and Antron join Schumacher Racing,” said team owner, Don Schumacher. “Clearly, they will be a nice complement to our already successful U.S. Army Top Fuel program.”

  In addition to its NHRA program with Don Schumacher Racing, U.S. Army Racing also includes the #01 NASCAR Winston Cup Series/MB2 Motorsports team with driver Jerry Nadeau, who is presently recovering from injuries sustained in a practice crash earlier this season. Mike Skinner is filling in for Nadeau.