Pennsylvania couple wins Hologram sweepstakes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR fans who show support of their favorite drivers and teams through purchases of Officially Licensed NASCAR gear have been rewarded all season through the Official NASCAR Hologram Program. This weekend, Michael and Pam Rhodes from Middleburg, Penn., will spend their time at the Ford Championship events in Homestead, Fla., as the grand prize winners of the Official NASCAR Hologram Program year-long sweepstakes.

The Rhodes' grand prize experience includes race tickets provided by Ford Motor Co. to all three series races for the Ford Championship Weekend, hotel accommodations provided by Best Western, a shopping spree at NASCAR.COM Superstore and VIP experiences at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Through the NASCAR Hologram Rewards Center, fans enter the unique serial code found on the hologram sticker online for three levels of prizes, including free e-Gifts in the form of a discount coupon, computer wallpaper, videos, computer icons and trial memberships. Additionally, each time a hologram code was entered this year, fans entered to win weekly prizes from NASCAR licensees and ultimately the grand prize VIP trip to a Sprint Cup Series weekend.

In an effort to protect NASCAR fans and ensure their purchases are for authentic licensed merchandise, NASCAR launched the hologram program to help curb the distribution and sale of counterfeit goods. To support this initiative, NASCAR developed a comprehensive media campaign and Web site to educate the consumer to look for the hologram when buying product as well as the rewards program, providing prizes to fans who purchase merchandise with the official hologram.

More than 100,000 serialized hologram codes have been entered at NASCAR.COM/hologram and thousands of fans have enjoyed the free e-Gifts, as well as entered for a chance to be a weekly sweepstakes winner.

"This hologram program was first and foremost a way to protect our teams, drivers and fans," said Blake Davidson, managing director, licensed products for NASCAR. "To provide daily and weekly prizes to fans and this ultimate VIP grand prize in Miami is a great way to tell our fans how much the sport appreciates their continued support."

To continue educating fans of the NASCAR Hologram Rewards program, there will be a 2010 Ford Connect vehicle wrapped in NASCAR Hologram Program marks on display throughout the Ford Championship Weekend.

All Officially Licensed NASCAR merchandise sold features the NASCAR hologram sticker either on the tag, packaging or directly on the product. These codes can be entered at http://www.nascarhologram.com/ in order for fans to gain access to the digital content, other rewards and to be eligible for the prizes.

In 2005, NASCAR launched the program with DuPont requiring its licensees to utilize a holographic sticker on all products. Today, a new and improved hologram, designed to more effectively protect fans who are purchasing and retailers who are selling NASCAR-licensed merchandise, features the "Track and Trace" enforcement system produced by DuPont Authentication Systems. DuPont's new enforcement system will allow NASCAR and its licensees to equip ICE (Immigration & Custom Enforcement) officials and other agencies to track serial numbers on the holograms, more easily discover counterfeit holograms, prevent affiliated merchandise from entering the country and investigate bogus products sold in foreign countries.