TBC GROUP INCREASES PRESENCE AT NHRA EVENTS

TBC RETAIL GROUP INCREASES EXPOSURE AT NHRA NATIONAL EVENTS WITH DISPLAY ON THE MIDWAY, PARTNERSHIP WITH Y.E.S. PROGRAM

GLENDORA, Calif. (March 5, 2010) – TBC Retail Group has announced that it is expanding its footprint at NHRA national events with display space on the midway and a partnership with the Youth & Education Services Program presented by the U.S. Army.

TBC Retail Group, which operates under the well known Tire Kingdom, Merchant’s Tire & Auto Centers, National Tire and Battery (NTB), and Big O Tires retail tire and automobile service brands, recently joined the NHRA community via its title sponsorship of the 41st Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals, which will be held March 11-14 at Gainesville Raceway.

The display space on the midway and the partnership with the Y.E.S. Program presented by the U.S. Army will debut at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals and will be utilized by TBC Retail Group as an education and branding tool, as well as for employee recruitment, emphasizing the company’s search for qualified ASE certified techs and store management personnel.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the Y.E.S. Program as it provides us with the opportunity to engage the youth and opens the door to finding, training and keeping the best of the best,” said Orland Wolford, president and CEO, TBC Retail Group. “As an employer of choice in our industry, we provide an exceptional work environment, intensive training programs and a career growth plan like no other.”

TBC Retail Group also recently announced that it will sponsor the two-car Pro Stock team of Johnny Gray Racing and a Top Fuel dragster for Paul Richards Racing. Its NTB brand is the primary sponsor of Johnny Gray’s Pontiac GXP, while its Tire Kingdom and Big O Tires brands will share primary space on rookie Shane Gray’s GXP. Richards Top Fuel Dragster will fly the Tire Kingdom brand.

NHRA started the Y.E.S. Program presented by the U.S. Army in 1989 as a way to educate kids through drag racing and today it reaches more than 23,000 students at the 15 NHRA events that host the Y.E.S. Program.