Schrader to debut colour vote car at Martinsville.

Ken Schrader doesn't care what colour his car is. As long as it gets around the race track - he'll drive it.

This weekend, Schrader and the "M&M's" AE Racing Team will debut a special paint scheme featuring the "M&M's" AE "Global Colour Vote".

The car is similar to the now familiar bright yellow No. 36, but it highlights the three colours consumers will choose from as part of the "Global Colour Vote" - purple, pink or aqua.

As part of the promotion, consumers from 75 different countries around the world will choose which colour should be added to the famous mix in packs of the world's No. 1 candy brand.

NASCAR AE fans will keep some other things in mind when making their decision. Every vote cast for the new colour of "M&M's" AE will be a vote cast for the colour of Ken Schrader's No. 36 race car. In a one-race paint scheme at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 24, Schrader will run the winning colour car - be it purple, pink or aqua.

"I'll drive whatever "M&M's" AE gives me," Schrader said. "I might have to rethink that if they want to put me in a pink fire suit," he says jokingly. "But all that matters to me is that I have a car, and that we finish well."

Martinsville is the first of four races for the "Global Colour Vote" car. The car will also take to the track at Talladega Superspeedway, California Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.

On the car, the famous "M" Spokescandies get in on the fun as they are depicted painting the car their colour of choice. Red is dangling from a rope as he tries to paint the driver's side aqua. Blue has used his artistic skills to colour the passenger side pink. Yellow has painted himself and the back of the No. 36 purple.

The "Global Colour Vote" is the first worldwide promotion in "M&M's" AE Brand history. Voters will come from a colourful mix of countries - from Australia to the Ukraine - including nations in which no citizen has previously had the opportunity to cast a governmental ballot.

Residents around the globe are eligible to vote by logging on to www.mms.com, which will be accessible in 10 different languages. Before casting a vote, consumers will have the opportunity to sample each colour in specially marked packages available at retailers worldwide. Voting ends May 31, 2002.

The winning colour will be announced in June 2002 at a gala event in New York City with the winning colour car being driven by Schrader at the Bristol night race in August.

For NASCAR AE fans, the stakes are high as they choose which colour the No. 36 will be for one race. What colour car would Schrader like to get behind the wheel to drive?

"To be honest, I'll probably vote for purple," Schrader said. "My daughter likes that colour, and I think a purple race car would look sporty out there on the track. But I'll drive whatever colour car the fans want to put me in."

For more information on the "Global Colour Vote," or to vote for your favourite colour, log onto www.mms.com.