03/09/2004 – Power Stroke® Diesel Racing Initiates Fund-Raising Program To Provide Independence To People With Disabilities

International Truck and Engine Corporation Partners with Paws With A Cause® to Raise Awareness of the Need for Assistance Dogs

WARRENVILLE, Ill. (March 9, 2004) – International Truck and Engine Corporation is leveraging the power of the NASCAR® fan base to support a national assistance dog organization through its Power Stroke® Diesel Racing program. With the new “Racing for Independence” campaign, International, designer and manufacturer of the Power Stroke diesel engine for Ford Motor Company, will raise money for Paws With A Cause® to sponsor assistance dogs for people with disabilities.

At nearly all of the 25 NASCAR Craftsman® Truck Series races around the country this year, race fans can take a spin in a race truck simulator – a replica of the No. 10 Ford® Power Stroke® Diesel race truck driven by Terry Cook – for a $1 donation that goes directly to PAWS®. The simulator race truck will give fans an opportunity to feel the excitement of racing around the oval track and feel good about supporting an important cause.

In addition, International hopes to help increase awareness of the 24-year-old Paws With A Cause organization among a broader audience by displaying the organization’s logo on the truck throughout the 2004 NASCAR racing season.

“We are really excited about supporting PAWS,” said Tim Cooney, vice president worldwide sales and marketing for the International Engine Group. “ Seventy-five percent of Ford Power Stroke diesel truck owners are dog lovers, and this program provides a way for us to help generate more awareness for assistance dogs and involve Power Stroke Diesel fans in a great cause.”

PAWS® specializes in breeding or rescuing, raising, training and placing assistance dogs to encourage independence for people with disabilities. The sponsorship of funding this process for one dog can exceed $18,000, and PAWS clients pay no fee to apply for or to receive their assistance dog partner, which is why donations are needed to defray the costs.

To date, more than 1,700 Paws With A Cause® assistance dogs have been placed throughout the country with people who require help in performing daily tasks, such as answering the phone, retrieving dropped objects or pushing medical alert buttons. There are currently 1,000 people on a PAWS waiting list.

Cook, who has two beagles of his own, said, “NASCAR® fans are very giving people, and we couldn’t be more excited about drawing their support for PAWS.”

The organization trains both hearing and service dogs whose capabilities include alerting individuals of noises such as a crying baby or a smoke alarm and performing general tasks such as opening doors. Select dogs even are trained to deal with seizure disorders. These dogs help provide a sense of security and increased confidence for those with disabilities.

Paws With A Cause, established in 1979, helps fill the need for assistance dogs for some of the 54 million people with disabilities in the United States. That staggering statistic was severely under-matched by the lack of assistance dogs to help them. >

For more information regarding Paws With A Cause, you can visit www.pawswithacause.org. Learn more about Power Stroke® Diesel Racing and find a NASCAR Craftsman® Truck Series and simulator schedule at www.PowerStrokeDieselSTUFF.com.