PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Seven-year-old Santino Ferrucci of Woodbury, Conn., outmaneuvered three other young drivers to take the checkered flag today at the TripRewards(R) Kart Challenge at New York's South Street Seaport. Santino, who added the TripRewards(R) Kart Challenge victory to his record of 27 local wins, was awarded 1 million points in Cendant Hotel Group's TripRewards hotel loyalty program. Sage Karam, 11, of Nazareth, Pa., placed second; Tyler Davidson, 11, of Rye, N.Y., came in third; and Corey Lewis, 13, of Nazareth placed fourth. Stock-car racing legend Rusty Wallace took the ceremonial first lap to kick off the 10-lap race, which was held on a special oval course installed on Pier 17 in the East River. The event was sponsored by the TripRewards Drive to Rewards promotion, which offers summer travelers and drivers alike chances to win a 2007 Chevy(TM) Uplander LT Entertainer(TM) van, Apple(R) iPod(R) nano digital music player or $50 gas cards. Wallace, who retired as an active stock-car racing driver with 55 career wins at the end of last season, continues to be a regular on the racing scene as owner of RWI Racing's No. 64 Dodge and as a commentator for ESPN and ABC-TV. The race can be viewed at http://media.xfactorcom.com/alantaylor/20060524/ The TripRewards Drive to Rewards promotion, which runs through Aug. 31, offers a coupon booklet valued at more than $195 to travelers checking in to participating Days Inn(R), Ramada(R), Super 8(R), Howard Johnson(R), Wingate Inn(R), AmeriHost(R) and Knights Inn(R) hotels in the United States and Canada or any Travelodge(R) hotel in the United States. TripRewards members also will earn one entry into the Drive to Rewards sweepstakes for each night stayed during the promotional period at participating hotels. Registered guests earn entries in the sweepstakes for a chance to win the grand prize, a 2007 Chevy Uplander Entertainer or one of 80 iPod(R) nanos. During the promotional period, TripRewards members can also visit triprewards.com to play the Drive-N-Win game for a chance to win one of more than 1,000 $50 gas cards. Official rules regarding the promotion can be found at triprewards.com. The TripRewards program features more than 6,000 hotels, points-earning opportunities with more than 45 earning participants and more than 250 point- redemption options. It is the world's largest hotel loyalty program, based on the number of participating hotels. The TripRewards "open earn" structure allows members faster access to point earning by staying in Cendant-franchised hotels, renting Avis(R) and Budget(R) rental cars and purchasing everyday products and services from earning partners. Likewise, TripRewards members can redeem their points for either hotel stays -- with no blackout dates -- or rewards including airline tickets, resort vacations, electronics, sporting goods, movie and theme park tickets and gift certificates. A hassle-free online system allows members to check their point balance and redeem for rewards 24 hours a day. Here are details about today's drivers, each of whom currently competes on the national kart racing circuit: Santino Ferrucci, age 7, Woodbury Conn. * First 7-year old invited to compete in Stars of Karting Nationals * Qualified 15 of 52 in a field of the best 9-13 year olds in the United States in 1st National in Oklahoma * Qualified 13 of 34 in 2nd National in Tucson * 27 local wins, 16 poles * 1st 6 year old ever known to win a Cadet race (9-13 year olds) * Currently competes on a National level in the same classes as Karam through special invites * Only under 16 year old to have a full sponsorship from Top-Kart, a leader of Italian racing karts * Also sponsored by Hi-Rev Engines in Carlsbad, Calif. Sage Karam, age 11, Nazareth, Pa. * 2005 WKA National Champion in Cadet and Yamaha Junior Sportsman * 2005 Stars of Karting (IRL sponsored) National Champion * Over 75 regional wins, 25+ poles * Sponsored by Michael Andretti and teamovrp.com Tyler Davidson, age 11, Rye, N.Y. * Competed locally for five years * Has a 200+ IQ Corey Lewis, age 13, Nazareth, Pa. * Competes Nationally in JICA (Junior ICA) in the Stars of Karting and Yamaha in World Karting Association * 25+ regional wins in WKA regional races * Will enter professional ranks of ICA in early 2007 Cendant Hotel Group, which will become part of a Cendant spin-off hospitality company called Wyndham Worldwide later this year, is one of the world's largest integrated lodging franchise and management companies with more than 6,400 hotels on six continents franchised under the Wyndham(R), Ramada(R), Days Inn(R), Super 8(R), Wingate Inn(R), Howard Johnson(R), Travelodge(R), Knights Inn(R), Baymont Inn & Suites(R) and AmeriHost Inn(R) brands. All hotels are owned individually and operated independently or by a Cendant subsidiary. Cendant Hotel Group's TripRewards(R) loyalty program is the largest in the industry, based on the number of participating hotels. DATASOURCE: Cendant Hotel Group CONTACT: Stacey Kennedy, Senior Manager, Consumer Media Relations of Cendant Hotel Group, +1-973-496-0750, Web site: http://www.cendant.com/ http://www.triprewards.com/

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