Toyo Tires(R) Launches 'Gettin' Sideways Sweepstakes' Celebrating 'The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift'

Toyo Tires(R) Launches 'Gettin' Sideways Sweepstakes' Celebrating 'The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift'

CYPRESS, Calif., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyo Tires(R) announces the "Gettin' Sideways Sweepstakes" to celebrate Universal Pictures' upcoming release "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift." From the producer of the worldwide blockbuster hits "The Fast and The Furious" and its sequel, "2 Fast 2 Furious," comes the latest installment of the adrenaline-inducing series built on speed -- "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift." Set in the sexy and colorful underground world of Japanese drift racing, the newest and fastest customized rides go head-to-head on some of the most perilous courses in the world. In "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift," Toyo Tires(R) will have its greatest visibility to date with Toyo tires placed on many of the vehicles featured in the film. Universal Pictures will release "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift" June 16, 2006 nationwide.

To celebrate "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift" and Toyo's involvement with the film, the company is holding the national "Gettin' Sideways Sweepstakes." The Grand Prize will be a red Mitsubishi Evo 9 styled after one of the cars featured in the film. This car will turn heads wherever it goes, and of course, runs on super sticky Toyo Proxes 4(TM) ultra-high performance tires. A lucky Second Place winner will lay claim to a one-off movie-themed "Toyo Tires" Les Paul guitar made by Gibson. This glowing red and black electric guitar will surely be a collectible, while its rich, distinctive sound would be coveted by any musician.

During the sweepstakes promotion, which lasts from May 1, 2006 through July 31, 2006, purchasers of any four Toyo tires will receive an assortment of Meguiar's(R) NXT Car Care Products. According to Dana Zamalloa, Senior Marketing Communications Manager, Toyo Tire (U.S.A.) Corporation, "Toyo's association with 'The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift' is big, and we are celebrating by having a sweepstakes promoting the movie, which will be remembered by people for a long time."

For more information on signing up for the "Gettin' Sideways Sweepstakes," go to a tire dealer selling Toyo Tires(R) or log on to toyosweeps.com. During 2006 Toyo Tire (U.S.A.) Corporation celebrates its 40th anniversary. Toyo manufactures and distributes a complete line of high performance and original equipment replacement tires for passenger car, light truck, commercial truck, bus, off-road and construction applications.

About the film

From the producer of the worldwide blockbuster hits "The Fast and The Furious" and its sequel, "2 Fast 2 Furious," comes the latest installment of the adrenaline-inducing series built on speed -- "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift." Set in the sexy and colorful underground world of Japanese drift racing, the newest and fastest customized rides go head-to-head on some of the most perilous courses in the world.

Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) is an outsider who attempts to define himself as a hot-headed, underdog street racer. Although racing provides a temporary escape from an unhappy home and the superficial world around him, it has also made Sean unpopular with the local authorities. To avoid jail time, Sean is sent to live with his gruff, estranged father, a career military-man stationed in Tokyo.

Now officially a "gaijin" (outsider), Sean feels even more shut out in a land of foreign customs and codes of honor. But it doesn't take long for him to find some action when a fellow American buddy, Twinkie (Bow Wow), introduces him to the underground world of drift racing. Sean's simple drag racing gets replaced by a rubber-burning, automotive art form -- with an exhilarating balance of speeding and gliding through a heart-stopping course of hairpin turns and switchbacks.

On his first time out drifting, Sean unknowingly takes on D.K., the "Drift King," a local champ with ties to the Japanese crime machine Yakuza. Sean's loss comes at a high price tag when he's forced to work off the debt under the thumb of ex-pat, Han (Sung Kang). Han soon welcomes Sean into this family of misfits and introduces him to the real principles of drifting. But when Sean falls for D.K.'s girlfriend, Neela (newcomer Nathalie Kelley), an explosive series of events is set into motion, climaxing with an ultimate high stakes face off.

"The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift" is directed by Justin Lin ("Better Luck Tomorrow," "Annapolis") and written by Chris Morgan ("Cellular"), Kario Salem ("The Score") and Alfredo Botello. The film is produced by Neal H. Moritz ("xXx," "S.W.A.T.") and executive produced by Clayton Townsend ("The Skeleton Key," "The 40 Year-Old Virgin").

This film has not yet been rated. Please consult www.filmratings.com for further information.

About Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.

Source: Toyo Tires

CONTACT: Jay Jones of TMC, +1-949-851-6313, or fax, +1-949-833-0253,
themarketconnect@aol.com, for Toyo Tires

Web site: http://www.toyoeditor.com/
http://www.universalstudios.com/

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