Patrick Dempsey Returns To New Jersey Motorsports Park As Driver/Owner

Dempsey Will Race the No. 40 Dempsey Racing Mazda in the Verizon Wireless 250

Millville, N.J. (April 29, 2009) - Patrick Dempsey, Derek "Dr. McDreamy" Shepherd on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, returns to New Jersey Motorsports Park this weekend for the Verizon Wireless 250 presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. Dempsey is the owner/driver of the No. 40 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, and will co-drive with Joe Foster at the 12-turn, 2.25-mile Millville, N.J. facility.

The May 1-3 event is the second appearance for the Rolex Series at the South Jersey facility, which opened last July.

The Rolex Series driver autograph session is scheduled for Noon on Saturday, May 2; the Verizon Wireless 250 is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 3.

Dempsey led for the first time in a Rolex Series race at New Jersey Motorsports Park last season, and is looking forward to returning after missing last weekend's Rolex Series race at Virginia International Raceway due to a scheduling conflict.

"New Jersey was special for me," Dempsey said. "It was the first race that I led, so I like that track a lot and it will be fun to go back there. There's always a good crowd there. It's nice to see a track that's that close to Philadelphia and New York."

In addition to the Grand-Am Rolex Series, the SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT and Touring classes, Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge, and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge all race during the Verizon Wireless 250 weekend.

Gates open at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available for purchase at www.njmp.com. Children 12 and under are admitted free to every event at New Jersey Motorsports Park, including the Verizon Wireless 250 presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Sitting on over 500 acres in Millville, N.J., New Jersey Motorsports Park is conveniently located to Philadelphia, the Jersey Shore, New York and Baltimore, and offers diverse and dynamic motorsports attractions. The facility includes two world-class road courses (Thunderbolt and Lightning), an exclusive motorsports country club known as the Drivers Club, the Breighton Room Restaurant open to the general public, and F1 New Jersey, one of the top karting facilities in America. Opened in July 2008, New Jersey Motorsports Park hosts eight major motorsports events in 2009, beginning with the Verizon Wireless 250 presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 May 1 - 3. The 2009 spectator schedule also includes the Formula X weekend featuring the Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda and a host of Mazda-powered race series, as well as All Revved Up; the debut of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Pro Road Race Series, including the American Superbike class and the new Daytona Sportbike program; the return of the ARCA/ReMax Series as the only road course visit on the series schedule; a Ferrari Challenge event and the excitement of two separate Vintage race weekends.

For more information on New Jersey Motorsports Park, F1 New Jersey, Breighton Room, or to purchase tickets, visit www.njmp.com or call 856-327-7217.