Grand-Am road racing fan Anthony Carbone closed-out the Sports
Car Series season in style as the grand-prize winner of the 2010
'Watch and Win' sweepstakes sponsored by Pirelli, Grand-Am,
Dempsey Racing and Mazda.
Carbone, a resident of Long Island and account director at
Adelhardt Construction in New York City, entered the sweepstakes
earlier in the year at 12:30 a.m. during the Speed Channel's
broadcast of the Jan. 30-31 Rolex 24 at Daytona. He was the first
of 11 winners announced for the season-long sweepstakes
promotion.
Speed channel viewers were shown a 'Watch and Win' code word
several times throughout the season's broadcast schedule and
prompted to log onto a website for entering the contest.
A winner was chosen following each of the first 11 races to
receive a trip to the finale at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt
Lake City, complete with airfare, hotel accommodations, all-
access credentials and a chance to spend the day with Dempsey
Racing personnel plus a chance to win the grand-prize: A one-off
2010 Pirelli Dempsey Racing Edition Mazda RX-8 R3 by Foose
Design.
PAGE 2Carbone was presented the
keys prior to the Utah 250's start.
"This is unbelievable, a great experience," says Carbone, a
former drag racer who now competes in go karts in addition to
racing simulations.
"Drawing number two, I didn't think I was going to win, but you
never know. Just like going to the racetrack, you never know
what's going to happen. A friend of mine said we should strip it
and come back and race it with you guys," he adds.
"Now, I've got to find a way to get it back home. You know, you
don't count your chickens. If I have to fly back here and drive
it back, I'll do it," notes Carbone.
This year's sweepstakes is the second consecutive season that
Pirelli and the other sponsors collaborated with Foose Design to
offer a race fan a Foose customized vehicle. Last year, Bruce
Winn of Hubbard, Ore. won a Pirelli Edition Ford Flex presented
by Chip Foose himself at the Rolex Series season finale.
"'Watch and Win 2009' was a home run last year, one that required
the best partners in the automotive and motorsport business to
facilitate such a collaboration," says Tom Gravalos, Pirelli's
vice president of marketing, motorsports and original equipment.
Adds Gravalos: "Fast cars, cool designs and a promotional
opportunity for the consumer as well as for the brands – how do
you go wrong with that?"
PAGE 3 "This sweepstakes was extremely popular last season and we are
delighted to be able to again offer another Foose-designed
vehicle to a Grand-Am fan in 2010," says Kevin Hindson, the
racing circuit's vice president of marketing and communications.
"This sweepstakes adds to the fun and excitement."
The Foose-customized prize car has a racing theme design based on
the No. 40 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 co-driven in the 2010 Series
by Joe Foster and Patrick Dempsey. The team's drivers were on-
hand when the grand prize was awarded to Carbone.
For more information, visit www.us.pirelli.com.
