Sears Auto Center Seeks Social-Savvy Road Warriors for Second Annual "Exploring My America" Contest

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Road trips have long been a part of American culture, but drivers often skip the most important aspect of preparation: proper car maintenance. This travel season Sears Auto Center is launching the second annual Exploring My America contest to help groups of friends and families experience dream journeys to favorite destinations across the country, while teaching them the importance of caring for their vehicles before hitting the road.

Road warriors interested in embarking on one of the eight Exploring My America fantasy road trips must submit creative audition videos at exploringmyamerica.com. Sears will select finalists for each trip and then America will vote to determine two teams to participate in each road trip.  The road trippers will be asked to chronicle their journeys and share their travel experiences with America via the contest website and Sears Auto Center's Facebook (facebook.com/searsauto), Twitter (twitter.com/searsauto) and YouTube (youtube.com/user/searsexploremyameric) pages.

To kick off this year's program, Sears Auto Center is sending two horsepower-craving, left-turn-loving teams to the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola At DAYTONA^® from June 26-July 2, 2011. Teams looking to take part in the motorsports trip have until May 29 to submit their audition videos at exploringmyamerica.com, where competition will be fierce in order to claim the first trip.

"For the second straight year, Sears Auto Center is searching for the most passionate travelers in the country to participate in the Exploring My America program," said Joe Finney, president of Sears Automotive. "While we focused on great American roadways last year, the 2011 program will spotlight favorite destinations. And we're inviting the winning teams to visit their local Sears Auto Centers before hitting the road so our car care pros can get their vehicles ready for the trips of a lifetime."

The stock car racing experience is only one of eight exciting road trips being awarded by Sears Auto Center. Also on the schedule are journeys to a series of baseball games, a music festival, a spring break destination and college and pro football games. Thrill-seekers looking to participate in one of the trips can visit exploringmyamerica.com for more details as the contest progresses.

How to Win

Ready to hit the road? Then sign up now at exploringmyamerica.com and submit an audition video. Sears Auto Center is looking for teams of travelers with creativity and personality to showcase their talents. Application open to legal residents of the 50 United States, 18 years or older. Application period for the first road trip ends May 29, 2011. Official contest rules are available at http://exploringmyamerica.com/Official-Rules.aspx.

We've Got it Covered

Teams chosen for Exploring My America will be well stocked as they head on down the road. Each team will receive $1,500 in travel funds for food, gas, lodging and other expenses. Prior to departure, each team will receive a 21-point inspection from the Sears Blue Automotive Crew and much-needed products like tires and services from DieHard and other Sears Auto Center partners. They will also receive $500 in Sears Auto Center store credit for any last-minute tune-ups.

And since this trip is all about capturing the experience, each team will receive a high-definition video camcorder and Wi-Fi card for recording and uploading every leg of the journey. Each team's mission is to interact with people along their route, capture interesting stories of unique personalities and places, and file their stories daily to exploringmyamerica.com for all to enjoy. Each team's car will also be outfitted with temporary Sears Auto Center and sponsor signage to identify the traveling crew.

Teams must consist of minimum of two members and a maximum of four. Team members under the age of 18 can join as long as their parent or guardian is serving as team captain.

As the teams record their travels, they'll also be competing for a grand prize. Fellow travel fans can vote for the best videos at exploringmyamerica.com beginning June 26 to help determine the grand prize winner from the first trip. Daily voters will also be entered into a random drawing to receive other fun prizes.

Sears Auto Center: Getting America Ready for Travel Season  

No matter where your summer travels take you, Sears Auto Center has everything you need to get your car in top shape throughout the season. Sears Auto Center carries all the essentials, including tires, brakes and America's most trusted automotive battery brand, DieHard. Sears Auto Center also has the products to take your car to the next level, including custom wheels, performance suspensions and navigation systems. For more information, visit searsauto.com.

About Sears Auto Center

Sears Auto Center is a leading provider of automotive maintenance and repair services and parts, with nearly 850 locations nationwide offering a full array of passenger and light truck tires, DieHard® batteries, Craftsman® auto accessories and more.  Sears has a long history as America's trusted place for car care, having offered auto parts since 1905 and service since 1931.  Sears Auto Center offers customers convenient locations and hours, as well as an extensive menu of services.  Sears Auto Center is a division of Sears, Roebuck and Co.

About Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,700 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes over 890 full-line and more than 1,350 specialty stores in the U.S.  Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck is the 2011 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 11 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.

©2008 The Coca-Cola Company. "Coca-Cola Zero," the Contour Bottle Design and the Checkerboard Bottle are trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company. All rights reserved.  DAYTONA and Daytona International Speedway are registered trademarks and used with expressed permission.

SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.