AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 12, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT), the exclusive tire supplier of NASCAR's three major national series, today announced that The Goodyear 'Support Our Troops' initiative raised $100,463 for the nonprofit organization, Support Our Troops®.

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"Given our long-standing history with the United States Armed Forces, we are proud to present a donation of $100,463 to Support Our Troops," said Kris Kienzl, Goodyear's NASCAR marketing manager. "Goodyear would like to thank everyone who got involved to support this cause...NASCAR drivers, teams, other partners and especially the fans.  Their generosity and expressions of support that they extended through our program mean so much to us as well as the troops."

The Company kicked off the fundraising effort around the July 4th holiday weekend races in Daytona Beach, Florida.  Every Goodyear Eagle racing tire was transformed to feature a red, white and blue color scheme reading "Support Our Troops" on the tires' sidewalls. The new scheme was designed to help say 'thank you' to the members of the United States Armed Forces and their families.

"We are very grateful for the opportunity to have an iconic American company like Goodyear create such a successful initiative to support our mission," said Martin C. Boire, Executive Director of Support Our Troops.  "The NASCAR fans - some of the most patriotic and dedicated fans in the world - should feel good knowing that the proceeds generated by this program will go a long way in helping Support Our Troops achieve its mission -- making a difference in the lives of our service men and women and their families."

Goodyear jump-started the fundraising effort with a $20,000 donation to the initiative and also leveraged the new-look, race-used tires from the July 3rd Coke Zero 400 to host an online tire auction which ran from July 3rd to July 17th and provided fans the opportunity to bid on a piece of the action with all proceeds benefitting Support Our Troops.  Additional funds were generated through Goodyear dealer fundraising contributions and generous consumers donating portions or all of tire purchase rebates.

All funds raised are being donated to Support Our Troops, a nonpartisan, nonpolitical organization founded to directly help citizens and community-minded businesses find constructive ways to benefit and support American troops. Funds raised through the Goodyear effort will benefit the programs which deliver more than $8 million per year in care packs and requested items to the front lines, positive support at home, kids' camp assistance and more.  

Goodyear has a longstanding history with the U.S. Armed Forces, with over 100 years of commitment to building innovative and reliable equipment to support and protect our troops. To this day, Goodyear continues to develop and test new possible fitments for U.S. military vehicles.

Goodyear's commitment extends beyond products and charitable donations; Goodyear prides itself on hosting events at U.S. military bases throughout the year, including visits by NASCAR drivers and the Goodyear Blimp. These events allow the military service men and women and their families a chance to interact with the drivers and receive the rare opportunity to take a ride on the Goodyear Blimp.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports.  NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – with more of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S. than any other sport, and is the No. 2-rated regular-season sport on television.  NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 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 major national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series.  Also part of NASCAR is Grand-Am Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars.  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.

About Support Our Troops®

SupportOurTroops.org provides simple constructive ways for citizens and community minded businesses to show their patriotism and appreciation for those who sacrifice so much to protect our country, our homes, our families, and our American way of life.

Support Our Troops® is a registered trademark licensed through SupportOurTroops.org.  The official SupportOurTroops.org website is a nationwide platform for individuals, organizations, businesses and non-profits to bolster America's troops and their families in a multitude of ways. It is a moral covenant with those who serve to protect us and our families. SupportOurTroops.org is a resource that was not available to previous generations of troops, which now stands as a permanent living testament to the affection, gratitude and loyalty good Americans hold for those who do so much for all of us every day.

About Goodyear

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies.  It employs approximately 70,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 56 facilities in 22 countries around the world.  Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.  For more information about Goodyear, go to www.goodyear.com.

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company