Oct. 30, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

MILWAUKEE, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- OPTIMA® Batteries, the title sponsor and creator of the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational, presented by RideTech and K&N Filters, announces an agreement with Brentwood Communications International, Inc. (BCII) and SPEED(TM) to produce and air an exclusive 30-minute television special about the upcoming racing competition. These broadcast partners will help elevate the awareness and status levels of the Invitational, currently in its second year.

The program, scheduled to air nationally on SPEED in 2010 on January 30 and 31, will cover several of the vehicle builds in the days leading up to the competition. During the week of the event, the program will focus on driver appearances at the SEMA Show and all of the racing excitement throughout the competition.

"The OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational is designed to show off the best of the best builders, drivers and aftermarket products in the performance automotive world," said Cam Douglass, director of product development and marketing at OPTIMA Batteries. "The event itself is closed to spectators and open only to media and participants, however we have fielded many requests from consumers who want access to the industry-only world of SEMA, as well as this exciting event. The exclusive SPEED television special will deliver that experience in a dynamic, visual way, providing a front-row seat to all of those would-be spectators."

The invitation-only event will take place on Saturday, November 7, right on the heels of the SEMA Show. Held at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada, this Invitational will challenge up to 50 of the finest street machines in the world, showcasing the quality, performance and talent of the country's top builders, manufacturers and vehicle owners.

Hundreds of car owners submitted entries in hopes of participating in this unique event. OPTIMA and its committee of automotive industry experts, including manufacturers, media, top builders and designers, are using strict criteria to select up to 50 participants. This elite group will include some of the most well-known drivers and vehicles in the industry. The final choices will be made from the show floor at SEMA and will be announced at a press conference in the OPTIMA booth #23561, located in the central hall, during the SEMA Show on Thursday, November 5 at 10:00 a.m. PT.