Ameriquest Mortgage Company to Sponsor Roush Racing's Mark Matin, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards in the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series

The ‘Ameriquest Dream Team’ Has Combined to Win 87-Career NBS Races, Three National Series Championships

ORANGE, Calif., November 19, 2005 – Ameriquest Mortgage Company, one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders, announced today a landmark partnership with Roush Racing to serve as the team’s primary sponsor of four of its drivers in the NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) for the 2006 racing season.

Dubbed the “Ameriquest Dream Team,” it will consist of drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards. The partnership includes sponsorship of all four teams throughout the NBS race season – unprecedented in the series’ 24-year history. Through Roush Racing’s manufacturer partnership with Ford Racing, the “Ameriquest Dream Team” drivers will pilot Ford Fusions in all NBS races.

Ameriquest will serve as the primary sponsor for at least two drivers in 26 selected NBS races in 2006. In addition, in two of these events, all four drivers will carry the Ameriquest colors. Those events are: the May 27 event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. and the Ameriquest 300 on September 2 at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The four drivers have combined to win 87-career NBS races, including nine this season, and three NASCAR national series championships.

In addition, Ameriquest, proud sponsor of the American dream, will become the official mortgage company of Roush Racing.

“Ameriquest is thrilled to partner with Roush Racing and its championship-caliber drivers in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2006,” said Brian Woods, Chief Marketing Officer, Ameriquest Mortgage Company. “Roush Racing is one of the most respected racing teams in all of NASCAR and has enjoyed a long history of success. This partnership presents an opportunity for our brand to reach NASCAR’s 75 million loyal race fans and strategically communicate our services and our positioning as ‘Proud Sponsor of the American Dream.’”

Ameriquest may activate the “Ameriquest Dream Team” and its primary sponsorship with Roush Racing with a comprehensive marketing communications program on several levels throughout 2006. The program will include: on-line consumer promotions and sweepstakes, dedicated NASCAR broadcast advertising, at-track / off-track mobile marketing, charitable integration, customer hospitality and on-going public relations.

"We are proud to have Ameriquest on board for its unprecedented sponsor program,” said Jack Roush,” team owner. “Having them as the primary sponsor for Mark, Matt, Greg and Carl's cars will certainly give them the utmost exposure and hopefully put them in victory lane several times throughout the Busch season. On behalf of everyone at Roush Racing, I'd like to welcome the Ameriquest organization to our team.”

“We’re excited about being able to partner with Ameriquest and Roush Racing in such a high-profile Busch Series program,” said Dan Davis, director, Ford Racing Technology. “All four of our drivers for this program are proven winners, and the quality of this program should ensure that race fans will see Ameriquest Fusions in victory lane plenty of times in 2006. This will help get our NASCAR Fusion program off to a great start in the Busch Series.”

The 2006 “Ameriquest Dream Team”:
Mark Martin, the senior member of the team, is the all-time leading NBS race winner with 47, including a pair of checkered flags in 2005 (California, Feb. 26; Las Vegas, Mar. 12). Martin’s first full-time NBS season came in 1987 and he has captured five or more races in a season five times, including a season-best seven victories in 1993. Martin is a four-time NASACAR Nextel Cup Series championship runner-up, who also qualified for this year’s “Chase for the Nextel Cup.”

Matt Kenseth has amassed 18-career NBS wins, including three in 2004 and one earlier this spring at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (May 6). His first full-time NBS season came in 1997, yet he posted his best stretch of racing during the 1998 and 1999 campaigns, finishing second and third, respectively in the year-end NBS points standings. Kenseth, who qualified for this year’s “Chase for the Nextel Cup,” was the 2003 NASCAR Cup champion.

Greg Biffle is the only driver in history to win both NBS (2002) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS, 2000) titles. The 2001 NBS Rookie of the Year has claimed 17-career NBS victories, including April 22 at Phoenix. Biffle has twice won five NBS races in a season (2004, ’01), and is currently competing in the “Chase for the Nextel Cup.”

Carl Edwards has made the most of his rookie NBS season by winning five times, including: the Ameriquest 300 (Sept. 3), at Kentucky (June 18), Richmond (May 13), Atlanta (Mar. 19) and at Phoenix (Nov. 12). In 2003, Edwards exploded on the national scene, capturing three NCTS races en route to an eighth-place finish in the series standings and rookie of the year honors. Edwards also qualified for this season’s “Chase for the Nextel Cup.”