15 Days Until 18th Annual Food Lion Speed Street

Consumer Festival has Rich Tradition in Charlotte

May. 9, 2012

HARRISBURG, N.C. (May 9, 2012) – The countdown is on for the 18th annual Food Lion Speed Street, a free, multi-day festival offering an unprecedented consumer experience to an estimated 400,000 fans by means of live entertainment, access to racing’s brightest stars, and displays from sponsors Food Lion, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, General Mills, Chevrolet and many more.

With only 15 days to go, promoter and producer JHE Production Group Inc. (JHE), has announced some of the musical entertainment for May 24-26 in Charlotte, N.C.

A comprehensive lineup of racing personalities will make appearances over the course of three days and should be announced soon. The festival opens each day at noon.

In 1994 following the Final Four’s “Parade of Champions,” community leaders were inspired to give the Charlotte region a similar experience but with racing flair. Decisions were quickly made to organize the festival as a form of entertainment leading into the Coca-Cola 600 held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Food Lion Speed Street debuted on the streets of Charlotte, N.C. in 1995.

“When the concept of Food Lion Speed Street came up, we knew there was something special about having this event here in Charlotte amongst the racing community,” said Jay Howard, president of JHE. “However, we didn’t realize at that time how the festival would reach well beyond racing to engage locals, music lovers and more. It’s a festival of the people and one that we are proud to produce all these years.”

Throughout its 17 years, Food Lion Speed Street has been visited by approximately 335 drivers – from NASCAR’s biggest names like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and many others. More than 113 multi-talented, award-winning musicians, such as Keith Urban, 3 Doors Down, Pat Benatar, 38 Special, MC Hammer, Morris Day and The Time, Luke Bryan, Gretchen Wilson, Montgomery Gentry and many more have appeared at the event.

Amongst the various sponsored activities within the Charlotte region, the Coca-Cola 600 is the longest-standing sports entertainment property in the greater Charlotte region. However, after its inception in 1995, Food Lion Speed Street captured the next four positions. In 1995, both Coca-Cola and Miller Lite joined the consumer festival as primary sponsors while Chevrolet and Food Lion came on board in 1996.

For the 18th annual event which begins in 15 days, dozens of sponsors including Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, Food Lion, General Mills and Chevrolet will have a variety of interactive activities for fans of all ages. For more information please visit www.600festival.com or Facebook.

About Food Lion
Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., is a Delhaize America Company, which is the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG) and operates more than 1,100 supermarkets. The company employs approximately 57,000 associates delivering quality products, low prices and service to customers in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com .