The Chase is on for Lowe's and Team 48 to Raise Money for the American Red Cross

The Chase is on for Lowe's and Team 48 to Raise Money for the American Red CrossLowe's Activates 'Racing for Relief' in Dover 400 to Generate Funds for Areas Affected by 2008 Hurricanes

MOORESVILLE, N.C., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to Hurricane Ike, Lowe's and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will be "Racing for Relief" at the Dover International Speedway this weekend to raise funds for the American Red Cross. Funds raised will help to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of Hurricane Ike and other 2008 hurricanes.

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As part of Racing for Relief, the Red Cross logo will be displayed on the deck lid of the No. 48 Lowe's Impala SS. Lowe's will donate $48 for every lap of the scheduled 400 laps that Johnson completes in the Dover 400 at the Dover International Speedway on September 21. In addition, if Johnson wins the race, Lowe's will donate an additional $4,800.

Funds raised through Lowe's Racing for Relief will supplement an existing $1 millionLowe's donation to the American Red Cross. More than 1,575 Lowe's stores nationwide are serving as official cash donation sites to benefit the American Red Cross relief efforts throughout the 2008 hurricane season. Lowe's will match in-store contributions dollar-for-dollar, up to $250,000. Since partnering with the Red Cross in 1999, Lowe's has raised more than $17.5 million for disaster relief.

"It's been a devastating hurricane season and I know there are so many people who need our help right now," said Johnson. "When we ran Racing for Relief in Indianapolis to help the flood victims in that area, we were able to get to victory lane. I just hope we can deliver again this weekend. I know this Lowe's 48 team will do everything we can to make that happen. The American Red Cross helps so many people, and it's the least we can do, to bring awareness and help show our support."

Lowe's first introduced Racing for Relief in April 2000. To date, the program has helped disaster relief efforts for hurricanes, tornados and floods by raising more than $275,000. The most recent Racing for Relief efforts back in July 2008 raised more than $25,000 to help the American Red Cross with Midwest flood relief efforts.

Anyone interested in making a donation to the American Red Cross may visit participating Lowe's stores, donate online at www.redcross.org, or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

ABOUT LOWE'S:

Lowe's is a proud supporter of the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity International, United Way of America, and the Home Safety Council, in addition to numerous non-profit organizations and programs that help communities across the country. In 2007, Lowe's and the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $27.5 million to support community and education projects in the United States and Canada. Lowe's also encourages volunteerism through the Lowe's Heroes program, a company-wide employee volunteer initiative. Lowe's is a FORTUNE(R) 50 company with fiscal year 2007 sales of $48.3 billion and has more than 1,575 stores in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit Lowes.com/community.

ABOUT AMERICAN RED CROSS:

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the Hurricanes of 2008, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org .

SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.