Every year NASCAR drivers trade their firesuits for formal wear for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Awards Ceremony at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. This year, several drivers and other celebrities in attendance will donate articles of clothing to The NASCAR Foundation Red Carpet Charity Auction that is scheduled to launch online immediately following the start of tonight's ceremonies.

The Awards Ceremony begins at 7 p.m. in the Waldorf-Astoria's Grand Ballroom. SPEED will broadcast a live Awards Ceremony pre-show, "NASCAR Takes Manhattan," beginning at 6 p.m., while TNT will air the ceremony at 9 p.m.

The 10-day online auction, which launches shortly after TNT's broadcast begins, will allow fans to bid on several articles of clothing worn by some of NASCAR's biggest stars including Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton and Ray Evernham. Johnson's wife, Chandra, and Kenseth's wife, Katie, are donating their dresses while Burton's wife, Kim, is donating her watch for the auction.

NASCAR.com reporter Shannon Wiseman's shirt and NASCAR President Mike Helton's Tissot watch will also be auctioned off as part of The NASCAR Foundation Red Carpet Charity Auction.

The NASCAR Foundation, which supports a wide range of charitable industry-based initiatives, will donate the proceeds raised from the sale of each item to the driver or celebrity's charity of choice. Fans can visit www.nascar.com/foundation for more information or to bid on the items listed above and more.

About NASCAR - The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), which began in 1948, is the sanctioning body for one of America's premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport - holding 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S., the No. 2 rated regular season sport on television with broadcasts in more than150 countries, and has 75 million fans that purchase more than $2.1 billion in annual licensed product sales. These fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports and as a result, more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.  NASCAR consists of three major national series (NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series) as well as eight regional tours and one local grassroots series. NASCAR sanctions 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 35 states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach, NASCAR has offices in Bentonville (Ark.), Charlotte, Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City and Toronto.

About The NASCAR Foundation - The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc., (NASCAR) launched The NASCAR Foundation in January 2006.  The Foundation is a 501 © (3) non-profit entity that embodies the compassion of the NASCAR Family and its commitment to serving communities.  The Foundation supports a wide range of charitable initiatives that reflect the core values of the entire NASCAR Family.  The NASCAR Foundation will use strength of the sport and its people to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.  For more information on the NASCAR Foundation, please visit the website:  www.nascar.com/foundation.