Commit(R) Stop Smoking Lozenges Sponsors #39 Dodge for Two Races; Second Product to Help NASCAR Fans Kick the Habit Hits the Track

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- After opening the 2005 season with Nicorette as the first quit-smoking sponsor in NASCAR, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare is closing the year with its Commit(R) stop smoking lozenges as the primary sponsor of a car for two Cup Series races. David Stremme will run the #39 Commit Dodge in tonight's UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., and again at the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2005, to help promote the newest form of medicinal nicotine for smokers trying to quit.

The #41 Target Dodge from Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates carried the first quit-smoking product onto the track earlier this season when Nicorette debuted as a sponsor. The nicotine lozenge Commit has been on the market for only about three years, and the brand's appearance on the #39 comes just as the annual quit-smoking "season" starts. New Year's resolutions help to focus many quit smoking attempts toward the end of the year.

"As the primary sponsor on the #39 Commit Dodge for two races this Fall, we have a great opportunity to educate NASCAR fans about our Commit nicotine lozenges," said Bill Slivka, Vice-President of GSK Consumer Healthcare's Smoking Control Products. "Together with our Nicorette nicotine gum and NicoDerm CQ nicotine patches, we offer the widest range of medicinal nicotine to help smokers who want to quit."

David Stremme entered the stock car scene at age 15 and continued his rise through the ranks. In 2003, he started to race in the NASCAR Busch Series as a development driver for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. He earned the Busch Series Rookie-of-the-Year title that year, and since then has made steady improvements, paving the way for his entrance into NASCAR's elite series. In 2006, Stremme will be piloting the #40 Coors Light and #40 Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Dodges for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NEXTEL Cup Series.

"I am really looking forward to next season as a full-time Cup Series driver, but for now it's all about racing the #39 Commit Dodge in these two races," Stremme said. "Not only does it give me seat time during the excitement of the Chase for the Cup, it provides inspiration for fans who want to quit smoking."

Commit(R) lozenges are the latest form of medicinal nicotine available for smokers who want to quit, and available strengths of 2 or 4 mg let smokers choose the right amount of nicotine to use. After a smoker quits, medicinal nicotine works by providing enough nicotine over a 12-week period to help calm cravings until the quitter is completely nicotine-free. Commit provides medicinal nicotine in a familiar form that many quitters find easy to use.

Some folks at Chip Ganassi Racing already have first-hand experience with Commit, thanks to a new program to help team members and other personnel quit smoking. Currently, there are Ganassi staffers from the Concord, NC, and Indianapolis, IN, shops who are trying to quit. One of the quitters is Roger Parkinson, the front suspension specialist on the #41 Target Dodge. Parkinson is well on his way to a successful quit.

"I'm about half way through the 12-week program, and the Commit lozenges really help me when I'm ready to reach for a cigarette. I do a lot better job of building shocks when I have the right tools, and the same is true for quitting," Parkinson said.

The #39 sponsorship builds on a relationship that one GSK Consumer Healthcare brand started with NASCAR in 1977. Goody's(R) Headache Powder is the sport's longest serving non-automotive sponsor and the "Official Pain Reliever" of NASCAR.

Throughout the 2005 season the company's Winner's Circle exhibit has connected with NASCAR fans and their families, raising awareness of clinically proven smoking cessation therapies and providing quit smoking counseling. The exhibit's racing simulator also lets fans experience the speed and energy of NASCAR racing first-hand. The Winner's Circle exhibit was at 23 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races this year, and will continue in 2006. For NASCAR fans that don't make it to the track, the Web site Quit2WinRacing.com has information about quitting smoking as well as racing news and behind the scenes interviews.

About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world's largest over- the-counter consumer healthcare products companies. Its more than 30 well- known brands include the leading smoking cessation products, Nicorette(R), NicoDerm(R) and Commit(R), as well as many medicine cabinet staples, Abreva(R), Aquafresh(R), Sensodyne(R) and Tums(R). GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare continues to develop innovative products to help all smokers find their best support system and achieve their goal of being cigarette free.

About GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare companies. GlaxoSmithKline is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.