CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced today that it would enter the car rental business beginning next year.

According to a media release by the association, "NASCAR views the extension of our brand into the rental car market as a natural. Market research indicates that customers are willing to pay a significant rental premium for a fully equipped but street-legal NASCAR vehicle."

The association has already taken delivery of nearly 500 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Dodge R/T and Ford Mustang coupes and is currently modifying the engines and running gear, adding additional safety equipment and applying the distinctive logo-covered paint jobs at its facility in Hampton, Ga. near the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Initially cars will be available near airports in Daytona, Florida, Talladega, Alabama, Las Vegas, Nevada and Bristol, Tennessee. NASCAR plans to add locations at a rate of two per month spreading from the southern states to the west coast.

According to Everett Reness, senior vice president for brand management, the daily rental charge for the cars will range from $275 to $941 per day plus a mandatory daily insurance fee of $349. Reness also noted that renters will be responsible for purchasing their own gas, which, with gas mileage at around 2 to 4 miles per gallon, may be the most expensive part of renting.

Even with daily rental costs exceeding $1000, Err Travel has learned that corporate accounts have already been opened for executives of Halliburton, Riggs Bank, Goldman Sachs and AIG.