Captain James Lovell Named LifeLock 400 Grand Marshal at Kansas Speedway

Sept. 21, 2007 - PRLog -- TEMPE, AZ. – LifeLock CEO Todd Davis announced today that  Captain James Lovell, Apollo 13 Commander and American Hero, has accepted an invitation to serve as Grand Marshal for the LifeLock 400 at Kansas Speedway on September 30. The LifeLock 400 is the third race of the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

“I truly appreciate the offer to serve as Grand Marshal for the LifeLock 400,” said Captain Lovell. “This will be a tremendous opportunity for me to get closer to the exciting sport of NASCAR, as well as LifeLock, the company protecting my identity.”

Captain Lovell, a current LifeLock client after discovering his signature and social security number being sold on E-Bay, was chosen for the space program in 1962. Lovell executed various commands in the Gemini mission program, including; backup pilot for the Gemini 4 flight, and backup commander for Gemini 9 flight.  He was the pilot on the history making Gemini 7 flight, which saw the first rendezvous of two manned spacecraft in 1965, and the commander of the Gemini 12 mission in 1966 that perfected astronaut extra vehicular operations.

At the close of the Gemini program, Lovell became command Module Pilot and Navigator for the epic 6 day journey on Apollo 8 -- man’s maiden voyage to the moon where he and fellow crewman were the first humans to leave the earth’s gravitational influence and backup commander to Neil Armstrong for the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.  Lovell’s fourth and final flight was on the perilous Apollo 13 mission in 1970.  As spacecraft commander, Lovell and his crew successfully modified their lunar module into an effective lifeboat when their cryogenic oxygen system failed.   Their emergency activation and operation of the lunar module systems conserved both electrical power and water in sufficient supply to assure their survival in space and their safe return to earth.

In 1973, Lovell left the space program and became a very successful businessman. In 1994, Lovell and Jeff Kluger wrote Lost Moon, the story of the courageous mission of Apollo 13.   In 1995, the film version of the bestseller, “Apollo 13” was released to rave reviews. Today, Lovell is president of Lovell Communications; a business devoted to disseminating information about the United States Space Program.

Lovell has garnered an impressive share of honors and awards, including the Presidential Medal for Freedom, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Naval Astronauts Wings, two Navy Distinguished Flying Crosses, FAI De Laval & Gold Space Medals; National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal; and most recently the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

“We are honored to have a true American hero accept our invitation,” said Davis. “While the cars of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series go much slower than what he has experienced during his career as a naval aviator, test pilot and astronaut, I have a feeling that he will still be able to associate with what the drivers go through and the machines they drive.”

LifeLock, based in Tempe, Ariz., helps consumers to render their personal information useless to thieves, backing up its service with a million-dollar service guarantee. Since beginning operations in April of 2005, LifeLock (www.lifelock.com) has held minor sponsorship deals in NASCAR with Rusty Wallace Incorporated, McClure Motorsports and Phoenix International Raceway. A few weeks ago, LifeLock served as the primary sponsor for the #49 BAM NASCAR NEXTEL Cup car. The company also currently serves as a sponsor in the IRL Pro Series with Sam Schmidt Motorsports and with Playboy Racing in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series and the Grand-Am Cup Series.

Season tickets are on sale now and include the LifeLock 400 (Sept. 30), Yellow Transportation 300 (Sept. 29) the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 (April 26, 2008) and the Kansas Lottery Indy 300 (April 27, 2008) Call 866.460.RACE or log on to www.kansasspeedway.com to purchase tickets. Parking is always free and fans can bring in one 6x6x12-inch soft-sided cooler with their favorite food and beverage.

Website: www.lifelock.com