"Pawn Stars" to Serve as Grand Marshals for HISTORY 300; Two Lucky Fans to Watch the Race With the TV Celebrities

CONCORD, N.C. (March 9, 2012 ) - Fans of the hit HISTORY(R) television series "Pawn Stars," can look forward to seeing their favorite hard-bargainers from Las Vegas live and in-person at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the HISTORY 300 on May 26.

The reality show cast will add to the Coca-Cola 600 weekend excitement by serving as grand marshals at the HISTORY 300. As part of a promotion with Coca-Cola, two lucky fans will be selected to watch the HISTORY 300 with the TV stars.

"We are thrilled to partner with HISTORY and bring the Pawn Stars out to join in the excitement of the Coca-Cola 600 weekend," said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway. "Our fans will enjoy seeing some of the biggest stars on television, and HISTORY will bring even more entertainment with TV shows all weekend on the world's largest HDTV."

"Pawn Stars" follows three generations of the Harrison family, who own and operate Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas. The series debuted in 2009 and became the network's highest rated show and the No. 2 reality show on TV, trailing only "Jersey Shore." Following the show's success, HISTORY picked up two spinoff series, "American Restoration" and "Cajun Pawn Stars."

This marks the second year HISTORY has been the title sponsor of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which has become one of the premiere events of the NASCAR Nationwide season.

HISTORY and Coca-Cola have partnered to bring fans the ultimate fan experience during the Memorial Day race weekend with two unique campaigns.

The Coca-Cola/WilcoHess Watch the Race with the "Pawn Stars" campaign includes a grand prize trip for two to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the winners will watch the HISTORY 300 with the cast of the "Pawn Stars," enjoy a pre-race meet-and-greet with a Coca-Cola driver and receive tickets to the Coca-Cola 600. Additional winners will receive Coca-Cola, HISTORY and NASCAR-branded merchandise and memorabilia and DVDs.

The campaign will be promoted at 300 WilcoHess stores in the Southeast. Fans can enter online at www.history300.com beginning April 1.

Additionally, Coca-Cola has partnered with Rick Dale of HISTORY's "American Restoration" series to offer one winning fan two tickets to both the HISTORY 300 and the Coca-Cola 600, as well as a restored Coca-Cola vending machine, a pre-race meet-and-greet with a Coca-Cola driver and photo in Victory Lane with the winning driver and Rick Dale following the Coca-Cola 600. Additional winners will receive Coca-Cola, HISTORY and NASCAR-branded merchandise and memorabilia and DVDs.

The campaign will be promoted on Coca-Cola products sold in the Southeast as well through on-air promotions on HISTORY. Fans can enter online at www.history.com/coke beginning April.

More information about tickets and camping options at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be obtained by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway.

About HISTORY

HISTORY(R) and HISTORY(R) HD are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network's program offerings are hit series such as American Pickers, Ax Men, American Restoration, Ice Road Truckers, Top Gear, Pawn Stars and Top Shot, as well as acclaimed specials including Vietnam in HD, Gettysburg, America the Story of Us, WWII in HD, 102 Minutes That Changed America. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, eleven Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network's signature initiative connecting America's schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY website, located at www.history.com, is the leading online resource for all things history, featuring over 20,000 videos, images, audio clips, articles and interactive features that allow visitors to dig deeper into a broad range of thousands of historical topics.