HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. - Mars Chocolate North America announced today that Cynthia Peace of Havana, Ill., was selected as the grand prize winner of "M&M’S® The Most Colorful Fan® of NASCAR® Contest." Peace bested thousands of other colorful NASCAR fans who participated in the 24-week contest at NASCAR.com/MostColorfulFan and will become the first fan recognized in the new NASCAR Hall of Fame™ when the Hall opens its doors on May 11, 2010.

Peace will be showcased inside the new 150,000-square-foot attraction in Charlotte, N.C., as part of an exhibit devoted to M&M’S Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR Contest. Peace’s colorfulness will also be honored with a VIP trip for two to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ Ford 400 Championship weekend in Homestead-Miami.

"This is an exciting new extension to M&M’S Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR platform and is the ultimate ‘thank you’ to all the fans for their year round colorfulness," said Suzanne Beaudoin, vice president, Sponsorships and Sports Marketing, Mars Chocolate North America. "NASCAR was built on the passion of fans, so it’s fitting that our most colorful fan has an opportunity to be featured in a venue that features all things NASCAR."

M&M’S Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR Contest, recognizes, celebrates and rewards all NASCAR fans for showcasing their colorful passion for the sport and drivers of NASCAR. The contest went live during the Daytona 500 on February 15, 2009, at NASCAR.COM, the official Web site of NASCAR. For 24 weeks, fans were able to showcase their unmatched love for the sport, as well as their favorite teams and drivers, by uploading their most colorful racing-themed photos to www.NASCAR.com/MostColorfulFan. More than seven million votes were cast over the duration of the contest this season, eclipsing the 2008 contest total votes of 360,000, a testament to the growth of the program and engagement by the race fans.

At the beginning of September, the 24 weekly winners were placed into a bracket-style "photo playoff" challenge, competing in a special head-to-head competition over a four week period where fans’ votes advanced the finalists to the next round until only three remain. The three finalists then battled it out for a chance to claim this year’s title. Along with the support of family and friends Cynthia’s passion helped her stand out among the thousands of photos submitted, earning her the title of "The Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR."

"I’ve been a NASCAR fan over a decade," said Peace. "I’ve been hooked ever since I attended my first Busch (now Nationwide) Series race in St. Louis. I’m especially excited to share this experience with my family members in California, Oklahoma and Texas who all love NASCAR!"

For more information about The Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR Contest, visit www.facebook.com/colorfulfans

About Mars Chocolate North America:
Mars Chocolate North America is the North American chocolate operations of Mars, Incorporated. Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned company founded in 1911 and employing more than 65,000 associates at over 230 sites, including 135 factories, in 68 countries worldwide. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, U.S.A., Mars, Incorporated is one of the world‟s largest food companies, generating global revenues of more than $30 billion annually and operating in six business segments: Chocolate, Petcare, Wrigley Gum and Confections, Food, Drinks, and Symbioscience. These segments produce some of the world‟s leading brands: Chocolate – M&M‟S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Petcare – PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, CESAR® and ROYAL CANIN®; Wrigley – ORBIT®, EXTRA®, STARBURST®, DOUBLEMINT® and SKITTLES®; Food – UNCLE BEN‟S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS® and SEEDS OF CHANGE®; Drinks – KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – WISDOM PANELTM MX, SERAMIS®, and COCOAPROTM.

About Mars Chocolate North America:

Mars Chocolate North America is the North American chocolate operations of Mars, Incorporated. Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned company founded in 1911 and employing more than 65,000 associates at over 230 sites, including 135 factories, in 68 countries worldwide. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, U.S.A., Mars, Incorporated is one of the world‟s largest food companies, generating global revenues of more than $30 billion annually and operating in six business segments: Chocolate, Petcare, Wrigley Gum and Confections, Food, Drinks, and Symbioscience. These segments produce some of the world‟s leading brands: Chocolate – M&M‟S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Petcare – PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, CESAR® and ROYAL CANIN®; Wrigley – ORBIT®, EXTRA®, STARBURST®, DOUBLEMINT® and SKITTLES®; Food – UNCLE BEN‟S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS® and SEEDS OF CHANGE®; Drinks – KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – WISDOM PANELTM MX, SERAMIS®, and COCOAPROTM.

About the NASCAR Hall of Fame:

Opening May 11, 2010 in Uptown Charlotte, the 150,000-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, includes artifacts, interactive exhibits, 275-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, Sports Avenue retail outlet and NASCAR Media Group-operated broadcast studio. The five-acre site also includes a privately developed 19-story office tower and 102,000-square-foot expansion to the Charlotte Convention Center, highlighted by a 40,000 square-foot ballroom. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

About NASCAR.COM:

Turner Sports acquired all of NASCAR‟s interactive rights in October 2000 and became the exclusive producer of NASCAR.COM in January 2001. The official online destination of NASCAR, the site consistently ranks among the top three sport league sites on the Internet. In 2008 NASCAR.COM was awarded a Global Media Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for RaceBuddy as the outstanding interactive platform of the year. The site has also earned an Emmy® for its TrackPass with PitCommand application in 2003.

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised and online sports programming. With events airing on TBS and TNT, Turner Sports‟ line-up includes NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, the NBA, Major League Baseball, professional golf, PGATOUR.COM and PGA.com. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA League Pass, NBADLeague.com and WNBA.com.