• by March 31, 2009

Procter & Gamble and AstraZeneca's heartburn remedy -- Prilosec OTC, which sponsors driver Jeff Burton -- will also fire up a "BBQ Shootout Series" at six NASCAR Sprint Cup races this year. With portions of proceeds going to support the three-year-old NASCAR Foundation, the Shootout will feature award-winning BBQ Pit Masters from around the country competing for prize money.

<>p> Fans will have the opportunity to taste the BBQ at $10 a plate, meet Burton and other drivers, and win tickets to upcoming NASCAR races.

Prilosec OTC has also teamed up with local Walmart stores to hold in-store events the Wednesday or Thursday before each Shootout. The sessions will feature cooking demonstrations, food samplings, autographs from drivers, a chance to win tickets to that weekend's race, and heartburn screenings.

Prilosec OTC suggests that frequent heartburn sufferers who want to enjoy the BBQ start taking the medication two weeks before the event they are attending.

NASCAR fans who can't attend the BBQ Shootouts in person can get a taste at home as Prilosec OTC has teamed with raceway owner Speedway Motorsports and Speed TV to air segments of the competitions.

Prilosec OTC's BBQ Shootouts will launch on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, Ft. Worth, Texas. Other locales are Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (May 2), Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C. (May 24), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 26), Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (Aug. 22) and Atlanta Motor Speedway (Sept. 6).

Winners of the BBQ Shootout Series will be determined by an independent, blind-judging process that is used by the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), a non-profit that sanctions BBQ events nationwide.

GlaxoSmithKline's heartburn remedy, Tums, meanwhile, is one of the participants in another KCBS event, the second annual Great American BBQ Tour. Touching down in 25 locations through October, the tour also features Tabasco's Chipotle Pepper Sauce, Kingsford Competition Briquets, Weber Grill Creations and Scott Shop Towels. Next stop on the tour is Friday and Saturday at the Porkin' in the Park festival in Clarksville, Tenn.