The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will utilize the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday night, May 20, to promote highway safety by serving as a sponsor of the Quaker Steak & Lube 200 presented by Click It or Ticket.

Officials from the speedway and Quaker Steak & Lube will join the NHTSA, highway safety organizations and law enforcement agencies across eight Southeastern states in promoting a new safety campaign, "Buckle Up In Your Truck."

On May 2, several NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers will join local and state law enforcement officers in rewarding Concord, N.C., area drivers for wearing seat belts. During a roadside checkpoint near the Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant, drivers wearing seat belts will be rewarded with tickets to the Quaker Steak & Lube 200 presented by Click It or Ticket.

This regional campaign is aimed at increasing seat belt use primarily among 18 to 34 year-old male pickup truck drivers and their passengers.

According to the NHTSA, this demographic is the least likely to buckle up and at highest risk of being killed in crashes. There were 1,677 fatalities from pickup truck crashes in the Southeastern U.S. in 2003.

Seventy-one percent of the occupants killed in those crashes were not buckled up at the time of the crash.

The "Buckle Up In Your Truck" campaign will include print, TV and radio advertisements, as well as public awareness events. This effort immediately precedes the Click It or Ticket national enforcement mobilization scheduled for May 23 to June 5.

Lowe's Motor Speedway and Quaker Steak & Lube's collaboration with the NHTSA is part of the ongoing U.S. Department of Transportation-NASCAR Automobile Safety Alliance which focuses on enhancing safety both on the race track and on America's highways.

Tickets for the May 20 Quaker Steak & Lube 200 presented by Click It or Ticket start at $20 and can be obtained online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS.