Responsible Fans Rewarded at Auto Club Speedway

Fontana, CA, March 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Race fans were rewarded for celebrating responsibly at Auto Club Speedway’s 20 ^th anniversary weekend before the Auto Club 400 on March 26, 2017. The race marks the fourth consecutive race that Auto Club Speedway, Anheuser-Busch, Americrown and Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition have come together to promote responsible drinking and traffic safety.

Before the green flag waved, 493 fans made the Busch NA Good Sport pledge – a promise to not drink alcohol at the event and serve as the designated driver for their group. All of them had the opportunity to receive a free souvenir photo, instant prizes, and a chance to be selected as the Designated Driver for the Race. One randomly selected, responsible fan will win the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards sweepstakes.” The grand prize includes two tickets and a VIP experience for two at next year’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ race at Auto Club Speedway.

The Designated Driver for the Race from the 2016 Auto Club 400, David Flores , received a pair of tickets and a behind-the-scenes experience for himself and his guest before this year’s race.

“We’re proud to continue to partner with Anheuser-Busch on this important initiative,” said Dave Allen, president of Auto Club Speedway. “We applaud these fans that made the responsible choice to be designated drivers for their friends or family this past weekend.”

“Anheuser-Busch has led our industry in promoting responsible drinking for more than 35 years, and the Busch NA Good Sport program reminds fans who choose to drink to do so responsibly and get their friends home safely,” said Katja Zastrow, VP of CSR-Better World at Anheuser-Busch. “We all share the same streets after the race. This partnership with Auto Club Speedway, TEAM and the fans displays our collective responsibility to help keep our roads safe.”

“Americrown believes responsible alcohol consumption improves the fan experience at events,” said Rishi Nigam, Vice President of Americrown. “As a proud member of the TEAM Coalition, we use proven training tools to educate our service staff as well as our partners in venue management.  Each day, we pledge to operate with the highest integrity for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

"The success of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign is a direct result of the commitment from our members and all the designated-driver program partners, including the tracks and beer companies," said Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition. "Teamwork is what this campaign is all about. We are demonstrating that when everyone – including the fans – takes responsibility, everyone wins."

About Auto Club Speedway:

Located 50 miles east of Los Angeles in Fontana, Auto Club Speedway is California’s premier motorsports facility, hosting over 320 days of track activity each year including the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 weekend March 24-26, 2017.  The two-mile D-shaped oval is one of the fastest tracks on the circuit.  The Speedway is also home to numerous movies, television and commercial productions, photo shoots, new car testing, club racing and a variety of racing schools. For more information on events at Auto Club Speedway call 1-800-944-RACE (7223) or visit www.autoclubspeedway.com.

About Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch and its employees build on a legacy of corporate social responsibility by focusing on three key areas: promoting alcohol responsibility, preserving and protecting the environment and supporting local communities. In the past three decades, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers have invested more than $1 billion in preventing drunk driving and underage drinking and promoting responsible retailing and advertising. Anheuser-Busch reduced total water use at its breweries by nearly 50 percent over the last 10 years. The company has been a leading aluminum recycler for more than 30 years. Each year Anheuser-Busch and its Foundation invest approximately $20 million in donations to charitable organizations that help in local communities. The company also has provided over 76 million cans of emergency drinking water to people impacted by natural and other disasters since 1988. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch, the leading American brewer, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com .

About Americrown

Americrown, originally formed in 1989 by Lesa France Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer of International Speedway Corporation, is the leader in motorsports catering and concessions. Operating at 11 NASCAR-sanctioned tracks nationwide, Americrown touches millions of race fans annually. Our ever growing fleet of mobile food concessions and catering equipment is unparalleled in the industry. Anywhere, anytime. If you can dream it, we can do it!

Americrown's team of industry professionals brings a wealth of experience and dedication to the table with an overall goal of customer satisfaction. We specialize in fine dining and food concession plans to not only fit the events at which we operate, but to optimize the guests' experience! For more information, visit www.americrown.com . 

About TEAM Coalition

TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, distillers, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities. TEAM Coalition's members and supporters include NASCAR, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Americrown, Aramark, Delaware North Sportservice, Legends, Spectra, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Constellation Brands, HEINEKEN USA, MillerCoors, Brown-Forman, Live Nation, National Association of Broadcasters, Contemporary Services Corporation, International Association of Venue Managers, Stadium Managers Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information, go to www.TEAMCoalition.org .

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Jill Pepper, TEAM Coalition – 703-647-7431, David Talley, Auto Club Speedway – 909-429-5205,