CITGO, MDA Race For A Cure At Darlington

LOS ANGELES, August 28, 2001 - NASCAR Winston Cup Driver Jeff Burton and comedy legend Jerry Lewis will both spend Labor Day weekend driving "pedal to the metal." And both will be looking for the winner's checkered flag at the end.

Burton's Roush Racing-owned, CITGO-sponsored SUPERGARD Ford will sport a new blue-and-white paint job to promote the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, as Burton competes in the upcoming Mountain Dew Southern 500, at the Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C.

In addition to the new paint job, Burton's CITGO team will also feature MDA's South Carolina Goodwill Ambassador Taylor McEntire, acting as an honorary member of Burton's pit crew. McEntire, 15, is an avid racing fan who is affected by spinal muscular atrophy, one of the more than 40 neuromuscular disorders in MDA's program.

Both the race and the Telethon will be held on Labor Day weekend. The race is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, Sept. 2, and will be televised on Turner Network Television, with race coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on radio on the Motor Racing Network.

The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon will broadcast live from CBS Television City for 21½ hours, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern time Sunday and concluding Monday afternoon. The Telethon will be aired across the United States and Canada on MDA's 200-station "Love Network," as well as on the Internet via streaming video, at www.mda.org.

The Telethon is MDA's most important annual fund-raising event, and CITGO Petroleum is the Association's largest national corporate sponsor. In addition to the NASCAR event, now in its third year, CITGO and its branded marketers support MDA year-round through a variety of special events, including golf and bowling tournaments, walk-a-thons and auctions.

CITGO CEO and President Oswaldo Contreras is especially proud of the company's 15-year relationship with MDA.

"Our marketers and employees have raised nearly $45 million to help in the fight against neuromuscular diseases," he said. "And with the progress that MDA researchers are making, and the number of lives our efforts have touched, we feel we're getting very close to the finish line." Contreras is also an MDA national vice president.

Burton will also wear a special MDA-design driver's suit and helmet which, along with the hood of the No. 99 car, will be auctioned to benefit MDA after the race.

"I'm always racing to win," Burton said. "But the extra incentive of driving for MDA will give me an edge over the rest of the field. I'm looking to win this race for CITGO and 'Jerry's kids.'"

Burton is coming off a successful 2000 season, having finished third in total Winston Cup points, behind the late Dale Earnhardt and the overall winner, Bobby Labonte. This season, Burton won the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., in May.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.

CITGO Petroleum Corp., based in Tulsa, Okla., is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes, asphalt and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of Venezuela.