Thomas Kinkade To Unveil The Officially Licensed Daytona 500® 50^th Running Portrait At  “The Light & The Thunder” Event In Concord, N.C.

-- Proceeds from event ticket sales to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp™--

MORGAN HILL, CA: (May 1, 2008) – Thomas Kinkade, the Painter of Light™, announced today that his newest Studio Masterwork NASCAR® THUNDER The 50th Running of the DAYTONA 500® will be unveiled at “The Light & The Thunder,” a special event to be held at the Embassy Suites Resort Hotel and Conference Center in Concord, N.C. on May 21. Ticket sales from the event will benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp, the official 2008 charity for The Thomas Kinkade Company.

NASCAR® drivers Ryan Newman, the winner of the 2008 DAYTONA 500®, and Kyle Petty, cofounder of the Victory Junction Gang Camp, will be on hand to unveil the officially licensed portrait. Afterwards, the portrait will be presented by The Thomas Kinkade Company to Petty for display at the camp, which enriches the lives of children with chronic medical conditions.

“There is no better place for the officially licensed DAYTONA 500® 50th Running portrait to hang than on site at the wonderful Victory Junction Gang Camp,” said Thomas Kinkade, known as the Painter of Light. “The Petty’s camp exemplifies everything I have grown to love about the NASCAR® experience - the overwhelming spirit of community, family and charity that inspired the painting of NASCAR® THUNDER The 50th Running of the DAYTONA 500®. This event is only the first of many we will hold in 2008 to celebrate our relationship with Victory Junction.”

The officially licensed Limited Edition Commemorative Portrait of the 50th Running of the DAYTONA 500® was sketched on-site during this year’s race, and selected via online voting from eight sketches by fans of NASCAR®, the DAYTONA 500®, and Thomas Kinkade.

Limited Editions of the canvas portrait will be available for purchase at the May 21 event.

Tickets to attend “The Light & The Thunder” presented by the Thomas Kinkade Galleries of South Carolina, benefitting the Victory Junction Gang Camp, are only available through one of the galleries. Please call Thomas Kinkade Signature Gallery of Columbia, South Carolina at 803-749-0403 or Thomas Kinkade Signature Gallery of Greenville, South Carolina at 864-297-8063. Tickets are limited.

About The Thomas Kinkade Company
The Thomas Kinkade Company publishes the work of Thomas Kinkade and distributes his art and related collectibles through independently owned galleries worldwide, an extensive network of branded and licensed dealers, and strategic marketing relationships with more than 70 licensees. The company's primary products are canvas and paper reproductions that feature Mr. Kinkade's artistic unique use of light and his peaceful and inspiring themes. Mr. Kinkade, known as the Painter of Light™ is the most collected living artist in U.S. history. For more information, please visit the Company's web site at http://www.thomaskinkade.com. 

About The Victory Junction Gang
The Victory Junction Gang Camp enriches the lives of children 7-15 with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering in a safe and medically sound environment. Surrounded by beautiful hardwood forests, Victory Junction Gang Camp is located in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina. For more information, visit www.victoryjunction.org. 

About DIS
Daytona International Speedway is the home of the "Great American Race" -- the DAYTONA 500 -- NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious race in America and NASCAR's Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola -- The Mid-Summer Spectacular under the lights. Daytona boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe -- from stock cars, sports cars, go karts and motorcycles -- earning it the title of "The World Center of Racing." For more information, visit www.DAYTONA500.com or www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com . 

About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), celebrating 60 years in 2008, is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – holding 17 of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S., and is the No. 2 rated regular-season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in more than 30 languages. NASCAR fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.

NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach (FL), NASCAR has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (NC), Concord (NC), Conover (NC), Bentonville (AR), Mexico City, and Toronto.

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