$100,000 TRUCK DRIVER CHALLENGE

ATLANTA, GA – Friday, March 12, 2004 – Pilot Travel Centers announced today the Pilot Truck Driver Challenge 2004, a new program highlighting the most talented, hard working and dedicated drivers in the NEXTEL CUP garage, the transport drivers. The Pilot Truck Driver Challenge will promote awareness and emphasize safety among America’s 2.2. million professional truck drivers, was unveiled this afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Pilot Truck Driver Challenge is shaping up to be the most exciting truck driver program ever, not to mention, the most lucrative. $100,000 is on the line! The competition will be a series of challenges that reflect the skills and qualities it takes to be a successful professional truck driver. Throughout the season Pilot will incorporate contests to judge overall safe driving, most miles driven in 2004, log book accuracy, safety equipment maintenance, rig cleanliness and driving ability. Commercial professional truck drivers will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite driver and team on the Professional Truck Driving Challenge website effective April 1, 2004.

In conjunction with the transport drivers, Pilot is holding an additional challenge for commercial professional truck drivers. They will be awarded points for most the most Pilot driver payback points and a safe/flawless driving record. The driver payback points will be tracked from April 1 – November 1, 2004. The transport driver champion and champion professional truck driver, will each receive $50,000 and a trip to New York in December.

“Pilot Travel Centers is privileged to sponsor this Truck Driver Challenge,” said Mark Hazelwood, executive vice president of Pilot Travel Centers. “As the economy has turned, and many manufacturing jobs continue to evaporate, folks should consider professional truck driving as an excellent career opportunity. The benefits, job security and pay are equal to, or above, most manufacturing jobs.” Pilot will have Truck Driver Challenge information displays set up at select sites this season for driver recruitment and career opportunity information.

Robbie Reiser, 2004 championship crew chief, echoed “We’re counting on our transport drivers to do a perfect job each week. They’re carrying racecars, engines and equipment that our team has poured their heart and soul into for months. There’s millions of dollars invested in the tools, parts and gear on board. I’m confident that once the transporter leaves the shop, it’s going to get to the track safely. I never doubt that.”

Attending the press conference were the team transport drivers, clad in their team colors. The contest has already created a stir in the racing circle. “This is going to be awesome,” said Rodney Pickler, transport driver for the # 2 Penske Racing team. “It’s already the buzz of the garage. The truck drivers are thrilled. This program is going to showcase what an important piece of the puzzle transport drivers are. All of the transport drivers in the (NEXTEL CUP) garage are friends. We’re like a big family. We see each other every week. We work together, travel together and do what we can to help each other out.”

Pilot has launched a website to feature the Truck Driver Challenge. www.PilotTruckChallenge.com will have results and overall competition standings, along with “spotlight” transport driver biographies posted each week.

Pilot Travel Centers LLC, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, operates the country’s largest travel center network with 260 Travel Centers and 62 convenience stores in 37 states.

Official Pilot Truck Driver Challenge Rules