YATES RACING AND NBC
ANNOUNCE DRIVER TRAVIS
KVAPIL TO DRIVE No. 28
‘KNIGHT RIDER’ FORD AT
BRISTOL
CONCORD, N.C. (August 19,
2008) -- Yates Racing and
NBC announced today that in
a unique partnership between
Ford Motor Company and NBC,
Travis Kvapil will pilot the
No. 28 “Knight Rider” Ford
for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series race at Bristol Motor
Speedway on August 23rd. The
sponsorship by NBC of the
No. 28 Ford comes in
anticipation of the
television series premiere
of NBC’s “Knight Rider” on
Wednesday, September 24th at
8:00 p.m. EST.
On the heels of NBC’s hit
movie, the iconic 1980’s
television classics comes
roaring back to life as a
reinvented, updated and
super-charged action series
showcasing the new KITT
(Knight Industries Three
Thousand). As absolutely the
coolest car ever created,
KITT is equipped with “AI”
(artificial intelligence)
that is capable of hacking
into almost any system. The
vehicle’s weapon system
matches that of a jet
fighter, its body is capable
of transforming into other
vehicles, and the car uses
sophisticated holographic
imagery to elude villains.
“This is such an awesome
sponsor for our team at
Bristol,” commented Kvapil.
“The television series
'Knight Rider' is a show
that everyone can get hooked
on. I think it’s really cool
that NBC has chosen to
reinvent the series for the
Fall line-up. The best part
about the show was always
the car, KITT, and this is
amazing that I get to drive
a version of KITT for the
night race at Bristol. It’s
every guy’s dream to feel
like they are an action hero
and I get to have that
chance under the lights of
Bristol with our No. 28
'Knight Rider' Ford.”
“The stealth look and
feel of the car coupled with
Travis Kvapil at the helm
has us very excited about
this race,” said John
Miller, Chief Marketing
Officer, NBC Universal
Television Group President,
The NBC Agency. “This event
exemplifies the adrenalin
and action the ‘Knight
Rider’ series will deliver
and illustrates the strength
and compatibility of our
sponsor partnership with
Ford.”
The premiere of the No.
28 “Knight Rider” Ford will
take place on August 23rd,
2008 for the Sharpie 500
when Kvapil and his Yates
Racing teammate, David
Gilliland, travel to Bristol
Motor Speedway for the 24th
race of the 2008 Sprint Cup
Series season. The Sharpie
500 will be broadcast on
ESPN Saturday, August 23rd
with television coverage
beginning at 7:00 pm EST and
radio coverage provided by
the Performance Racing
Network.
Kvapil has achieved three
top-10 finishes and four
top-15 finishes this season
in the NASCAR Sprint Cup
series within the first 22
starts of the year. Kvapil
has also completed 99.5
percent of the total laps
possible this season and is
currently 23rd in the driver
point standings.
The No. 28 “Knight Rider”
Ford has a paint scheme that
promotes the super-charged
Mustang from the show, KITT.
The Mustang on “Knight
Rider” boasts doors that
open vertically, a top speed
of 377 mph and, most
importantly turbo-boost.
Gary Scott Thompson ("The
Fast and The Furious,” "Las
Vegas"), David Bartis
("Heist," "The O.C.") and
Doug Liman ("Mr. and Mrs.
Smith," "The Bourne
Identity") serve as
executive producers on
"Knight Rider," which stars
Justin Bruening ("Cold
Case"), Deanna Russo ("NCIS"),
Sydney Tamiia Poitier
("Veronica Mars"), Paul
Campbell (“Battlestar
Galactica”), Yancey Arias
(“Kingpin”) and Bruce
Davison ("Breach"). Smith
Cho (“Blades of Glory”)
recurs. Based on characters
created by Glen Larson,
“Knight Rider” is from
Universal Media Studios and
Dutch Oven Productions.
About Yates Racing Yates
Racing operates two
motorsports teams in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Formerly known as Robert
Yates Racing, the team is
owned by Doug Yates, who
took the reins after his
father, Robert Yates,
retired at the end of the
2007 season, and partnered
with Max Jones; a former
road racer and long-time
championship General
Manager. The 2008 season
will mark the 20th year of
competition for the Ford
team. During those years,
the organization had a total
of 57 wins, 48 poles, 269
top-five finishes, 427
top-ten finishes, and a
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Championship. Yates Racing
will field two Ford Fusions
in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series, with drivers
Travis Kvapil and David
Gilliland. Sponsorship
opportunities are available;
please contact Kevin Thomas
with Yates Racing at
704-706-2120 or visit
www.yatesracing.com.