FORT WORTH, TEXAS (April 12, 2012) – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), will sponsor the Ganassi Racing Team #1 car driven by Jamie McMurray Saturday, April 13, at the NRA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. McMurray visited the Bell Helicopter Training Academy on April 11 for a cockpit simulator demonstration, meet and greet with Bell Helicopter employees, and flight in a Bell 429 helicopter.

“Bell Helicopter makes world-class products. Being a race car driver, I appreciate the speed, power and reliability of their aircraft. I drive the best, so naturally, I want to fly in the best,” said Jamie McMurray.

Textron will sponsor several races in the 2013 season on behalf of its subsidiaries Bell Helicopter, Cessna and E-Z-GO. Bell Helicopter will be represented at two races, including the race on April 13. Part of the NRA 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the race begins at 6:30 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

“We are very excited to sponsor Jamie in the Ganassi Racing Team #1 car. This is the first time in several years that Bell Helicopter has been involved with NASCAR and we are looking forward to reconnecting with the drivers and the fans,” said Danny Maldonado, executive vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing at Bell Helicopter. “As an added bonus, Jamie paid us a visit at the Bell Helicopter Customer Center and Training Academy. He had the opportunity to tour the facility, check out our training aircraft, fly a demonstration of a cockpit simulator and take a ride in a Bell 429 to Texas Motor Speedway. Our employees were thrilled to meet Jamie – it was a great experience for all of us.”

Jamie McMurray rejoined the Ganassi Racing team in 2010 as driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shop/Tracker Boats Chevrolet. McMurray has won several prominent races, including the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 500, putting him alongside some of the top NASCAR drivers. Since the start of his career in 1999, McMurray has raced in all three NASCAR touring series, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, accumulating an accomplished record along the way.

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About Bell Helicopter
Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.

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