Winner of Pepsi Promotion Awarded $205,000

JACKSON, Miss. (April 30, 2004) – Pepsi-Cola North America and Brown Bottling Group will present a check for $205,000 to Wayne Wilkinson, the winner of the “Win the First Place Cash at Talladega” sweepstakes. Pepsi-Cola North America and Pepsi-Cola bottlers in the south conducted a sweepstakes to promote Pepsi’s sponsorship of Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for the Aaron’s 499 on April 25. The “Win the First Place Cash at Talladega” sweepstakes grand-prize winner had a chance to win an additional prize, the equivalent of the first-place earnings at Talladega -- up to $205,000 -- if Gordon won the event. The winning sweepstakes entry was submitted by Wilkinson, a resident of Clinton, Miss. He and his wife Lindy were Pepsi guests at the Aaron’s 499 race on Sunday. As part of the grand prize, the couple enjoyed a garage and pit-road tour before the race, lunch in the Pepsi Suite provided by Talladega Hospitality Club, and seats to watch the action unfold at one of NASCAR’s most competitive tracks. Wilkinson picked up his winning entry form at Kroger Food Store in Clinton. Gordon was driving the number No. 24 DuPont/Pepsi Chevy when he won the race by three-quarters of a car length after the final caution flag went up with four laps to go. NASCAR officials declared Gordon was ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the time of the caution, which gave the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion the Talladega win. Wilkinson and his family are now diehard fans of Gordon, Pepsi and Talladega Superspeedway. “We will be in the stands for next year’s race, you can bet your Pepsi on that,” Wilkinson said. Bill Brown, president of Brown Bottling Group, said, “This is the largest cash prize awarded by Pepsi in a contest in our area. As a local family-owned bottler, we are proud to participate in contests that bring the excitement of Pepsi Racing and Jeff Gordon to our local consumers.” Pepsi bottlers from seven states participated in the “Win the First Place Cash at Talladega” sweepstakes.