Principal Financial Group to be primary sponsors of #01 & #14 at Phoenix:

Principal Financial Group to be primary sponsors of #01 & #14 at Phoenix: The Principal Financial Group, the nation’s 401(k) leader and premiere benefits provider, will be the primary sponsor on #14-Sterling Marlin’s and #01-Joe Nemechek’s MB2 Motorsports’ Chevys in this weekend’s Nextel Cup race — the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. MB2’s Principal Financial Group Chevys – Marlin’s #14 and Nemechek’ s #01 – will make their first appearance on the Phoenix one-mile track during Friday’s practice, which begins at 1:35pm/et. “We’re excited about the Principal Financial Group joining our team,” said Jay Frye, CEO and general manager of MB2. “The company has been involved in the past as a NASCAR sponsor and we’re elated about MB2 being selected for its first venture as a primary sponsor. The U.S. Army, Nemechek’s main sponsor at 34 Cup races, will have an associate status on the #01 car in Phoenix. Marlin’s associate sponsors will be Waste Management and Ginn Clubs & Resorts. The Principal, based in Des Moines, Iowa, is the on-air sponsor of Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500. The race will be televised on NBC, beginning at 3pm/et. For more information about The Principal Financial Group, visit www.principal.com.(MB2 Motorsports PR/site), see images of the cars on the #01 Team Schemes page and #14 Team Schemes page.(11-6-2006)