MBNA to Sponsor Dover Downs' Spring Winston Cup Weekend
4 August 1997
MBNA TO SPONSOR DOVER DOWNS' SPRING WINSTON CUP WEEKEND; FALL SPONSORSHIP TO CONTINUE DOVER, DE - Officials of Dover Downs International Speedway have announced that MBNA America Bank, N.A. will become the title sponsor of Dover's annual spring NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Grand National races beginning in 1998. The spring race sponsorships will expand MBNA's involvement with Dover Downs and NASCAR, adding to MBNA's sponsorship of Dover's September Winston Cup and Busch Grand National events. Next spring's races will carry the titles MBNA Platinum 400 and MBNA Platinum 200, while the fall classics will be known as the MBNA Gold 400 and MBNA Gold 200. Both Dover Downs Entertainment, Inc., the parent corporation of Dover Downs International Speedway and MBNA are publicly-traded corporations based in Delaware. MBNA based in Wilmington, Delaware, is the country's second largest credit card lender, with more than $40 billion in total managed loans. In addition to its NASCAR event sponsorships at Dover Downs, MBNA has endorsements from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy Racing League, the National Hot Rod Association, and the American Motorcyclist Association as sponsor of the Superbike series. Dover Downs Entertainment, Inc. is a diversified entertainment company which operates video lottery gaming and harness horse racing at Dover Downs in addition to the NASCAR speedway. "We're proud of our relationship with MBNA and we're happy to see it grow stronger through their support of our spring NASCAR weekend," said Dover Downs President and CEO Denis McGlynn. "MBNA is a leader in its field, and Dover Downs is a leader in the region's tourism and entertainment industries. There's tremendous synergy between our companies and we're looking forward to working with MBNA for many years to come." "We're very pleased to be expanding our involvement with Dover Downs and NASCAR," said K. David Elgena, MBNA Senior Vice-President and Director of Motorsports. "Our NASCAR credit card program has been very successful since it began in 1993 and the additional sponsorship at a top-flight facility like Dover Downs will further our commitment to the sport and its many loyal fans." Tickets are now on sale for the 1997 MBNA 400 weekend, September 19-21. To order tickets, call 1-800-441-RACE (1-800-441-7223) toll free from outside Delaware, or 302-734-RACE (302-734-7223) long distance from anywhere. For ticket information, call 302-674-4600, 24 hours a day. By Dover Downs International Speedway