on Thursday, August 3, #26-Jamie McMurray tests his skills on the city streets during the Crown Royal “Safe Rides Home” program in downtown Indianapolis. As part of this designated driver initiative, McMurray will team with his primary race sponsor, Crown Royal and its parent company Diageo, to deploy a fleet of replica purple and gold #26 Ford Fusion cars that will be offering local bar patrons free, safe rides home for two nights. To show his commitment to the program on the kickoff night, McMurray will get behind the wheel of one of the vehicles and provide free rides home to select consumers who sign up at a special Crown Royal #26 taxi stand. This marks the second straight year the program has visited Indianapolis prior to the Brickyard race. After servicing many Indianapolis residents with safe rides home last year [with Kurt Busch], Crown Royal has added a second night to the program. “‘This year we decided to expand the program to two nights, allowing us to cover more ground over a longer period of time,” said Jim Lorenz, Senior Brand Manager, Crown Royal. “This signature program continues to build upon its successes as the perfect vehicle to promote responsible decision-making.” McMurray’s appearance will launch the two-day program that aims to drive hundreds of Indianapolis residents home safely prior to the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard on August 6. The program is set to take place in Meridian Park (by Jackson Place) on Thursday, August 3, and Broadripple (Guilford Avenue) on Friday, August 4. Marked kiosks will accept “fares” from 8:00pm – 1:00am on both nights. In total, 10 Crown Royal Ford Fusions will be in rotation and residents within a 20-mile radius of downtown Indianapolis that are 21 years of age or older are eligible. There is a four-passenger limit per car.(Alan Taylor Communications PR)(8-2-2006)
