Zachary Levi Earns Pole Position in Qualifying for the 2010 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race

Zachary Levi Earns Pole Position in Qualifying for the 2010 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race

PEOPLE MAGAZINE GIVES $15,000 POLE AWARD TO LEVI'S CHARITY CHOICE

LONG BEACH, Calif., April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Zachary Levi posted the fastest time of all celebrities to earn the pole position in the 34th-annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. Levi, the star of the NBC sitcom "Chuck," narrowly beat actors Adrien Brody and Brian Austin Green in the qualifying race. Levi will lead the pack tomorrow in what has become the world's longest-running, most successful celebrity racing event. CART Champion Jimmy Vasser finished first among all drivers and won in the Pro category, followed closely by Formula Drift Champion Tanner Foust.

"Zachary put on quite a display this afternoon," said Les Unger, national motorsports manager with Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. "The hard work and determination he displayed throughout our training sessions paid off. The commitment and enthusiasm of all the drivers competing in this event demonstrates exactly what the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is all about."

"I did it!" said an exuberant Levi at a news conference after the qualifying session. "This is a great race, with a terrific group of people, that benefits an amazing cause. I can't describe how pumped I am for tomorrow's race."

Professional handicapper Anthony Curtis tapped Levi to come in a close second in the field of celebrity drivers. Curtis has been studying and handicapping the drivers throughout March and April. He offers his insights solely for entertainment purposes on www.lasvegasadvisor.com. (There will be no actual wagering on the outcome of the race.)

As pole-position winner in the qualifying session, Levi designated his $15,000 donation in conjunction with the 13th-annual People Pole Award to the charity Operation Smile, which works to transform the lives of children who suffer from cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.

Furthermore, Toyota will donate $5,000 to Racing for Kids in the name of each celebrity racer and an additional $5,000 to the winning racer's charity of choice. Racing for Kids is a national nonprofit program benefiting children's hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County, Calif. Toyota has donated $1.8 million on behalf of the race and its participants to various children's hospitals since 1991.

Saturday's race starts at 11:50 a.m. PDT.

FINAL QUALIFYING RESULTS

Pos Class Name Lap Time
1 Pro Jimmy Vasser 1:45.666
2 Pro Tanner Foust 1:46.061
3 Pro Steve Millen 1:46.765
4 Pro Marty Nothstein 1:47.078
5 Celebrity Zachary Levi 1:47.141
6 Pro Keanu Reeves 1:47.913
7 Pro Jamie Bestwick 1:48.015
8 Celebrity Adrien Brody 1:48.059
9 Celebrity Brian Austin Green 1:48.757
10 Celebrity Adam Carolla 1:48.946
11 Celebrity Jesse McCartney 1:49.185
12 Auction Winner Jerry Westlund 1:50.140
13 Celebrity Tony Hawk 1:50.291
14 Toyota Dealer Chris Ashworth 1:50.463
15 Celebrity Patrick Warburton 1:50.813
16 Auction Winner Dave Pasant 1:51.095
17 Celebrity Christian Slater 1:51.770
18 Celebrity Megyn Price 1:52.130
19 Celebrity Tika Sumpter 1:57.663

Contacts:
Kaymi Malave
212-367-6810
kaymi.malave@eurorscg.com

Sharon Noot
714-527-7735
sharon@nootinc.com

Kym Strong
310-874-2513
kym_strong@toyota.com

Source: Toyota

CONTACT: Kaymi Malave, +1-212-367-6810, or kaymi.malave@eurorscg.com,
Sharon Noot, +1-714-527-7735, or sharon@nootinc.com, Kym Strong,
+1-310-874-2513, or kym_strong@toyota.com, all for Toyota

Web Site: http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/

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