DES MOINES, Iowa
(July 2, 2007) – As
previously
announced, The
Principal Financial
Group®, the nation’s
401(k) leader1
and premier benefits
provider, will serve
as primary sponsor
of Mark Martin’s No.
01 Chevrolet during
the NASCAR Nextel
Cup race at Daytona
International
Speedway, July 7,
2007. The
Principal® will also
feature Mark Martin
and his Nextel Cup
rookie co-driver
Regan Smith in a two
minute vignette
airing as part of
TNT’s Wide Open
format of the live
event broadcast.
“We’re proud to have
our brand associated
with someone of Mark
Martin’s talent,
commitment and
character.
Following his close
second place finish
in the Daytona 500,
we are thrilled to
support his return
to Daytona
International
Speedway,” said Mary
O’Keefe, senior vice
president and chief
marketing officer
for the Principal
Financial Group.
As a season-long
associate sponsor of
Ginn Racing’s three
full-time Nextel Cup
entries, Daytona
marks the first of
two Nextel Cup races
where The Principal
will serve as
primary sponsor of
the No. 01 Chevy.
Regan Smith will
pilot the Principal
Financial Group
Chevrolet Sept.16,
in the Nextel Cup
race at New
Hampshire
International
Speedway.
The Principal first
joined Ginn Racing
in August 2006 as an
associate sponsor
then increased its
status in November
to primary sponsor
of Sterling Marlin’s
No. 14 and Joe
Nemechek’s No. 01
Chevys during the
Nextel Cup race at
Phoenix
International
Raceway.
“We are excited
about having The
Principal on board
for the Daytona
night race," said
Martin. "The
Principal Chevy is a
good-looking race
car and I know it’s
going to look sharp
under the lights.
Hopefully we can
come up with about
three more feet and
take the 01 car to
Victory Lane.”
The U.S. Army,
Martin’s and Smith’s
primary sponsor for
the balance of the
2007 Nextel Cup
season, will have
associate sponsor
status on the 01 car
in both Daytona and
New Hampshire.
About the
Principal Financial
Group
The Principal
Financial Group?
(The Principal ®)2
is a leader in
offering businesses,
individuals and
institutional
clients a wide range
of financial
products and
services, including
retirement and
investment services,
life and health
insurance, and
banking through its
diverse family of
financial services
companies and
national network of
financial
professionals. A
member of the
Fortune 500, the
Principal Financial
Group has $270.1
billion in assets
under management3
and serves some 17.6
million customers
worldwide from
offices in Asia,
Australia, Europe,
Latin America and
the United States.
Principal Financial
Group, Inc. is
traded on the New
York Stock Exchange
under the ticker
symbol PFG. For more
information, visit
www.principal.com.
About Ginn
Racing
Founded in July
1996, Ginn Racing
(formerly known as
MB2 Motorsports) has
grown from a
single-car NASCAR
Cup team in an
8,000-square-foot
shop to a multicar
operation, which is
currently housed in
a
158,000-square-foot
shop in Mooresville,
N.C. Ginn Racing's
lineup in the NASCAR
Nextel Cup Series
consists of the No.
01 Chevrolet that
is co-driven by Mark
Martin and rookie
Regan Smith; the No.
13 Chevrolet, driven
by Joe Nemechek; and
the No.
14 Chevrolet, driven
by Sterling Marlin.
Ginn Racing also
fields a part-time
NASCAR Busch team
with drivers Smith
and Kraig Kinser
plus a driver
development program
with Jesus Hernandez
and motocross
champion Ricky
Carmichael. For more
information about
Ginn Racing visit
the company’s web
site at www.ginnracing.com.
###
1 The Principal
ranks number one in
plans among
companies that
provide both
administrative and
investment services
– 2006 Spectrem
Group analysis of
fully bundled 401(k)
providers.
2 "The Principal
Financial Group" and
“The Principal” are
registered service
marks of Principal
Financial Services,
Inc., a member of
the Principal
Financial Group.
3 As of March 31,
2007
