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From Devil's Tower to the Center of the World 'Weird U.S.' Online Road Trip Contest

$80,000 More in Prize Money Still Available

PARSIPPANY, N.J., June 21 -- Budget Rent A Car System, Inc. today announced the first winners of its online contest at http://www.upyourbudget.com/ featuring the creators of "Weird U.S.," a travel guide to unique and mysterious places not often found on state maps or tourist guidebooks. The contest, hosted in the form of a blog, offers registered participants a chance to learn and share information about weird and memorable destinations across America, and win cash prizes for correctly guessing the mileage to new destinations each week.

The contest runs through June 30th with $80,000 in prize money still up for grabs. To become part of the hunt, participants need to register to play at http://www.upyourbudget.com/.

"Competing in this contest is not only a lot of fun for contestants, but is also a great way to discover some very new and unusual places to visit on family vacations," said Becky Alseth, senior vice president of marketing for Avis Budget Car Rental, LLC, parent of Budget. "The next time people head out for the great American road trip, they can include some of these destinations being featured in our online contest and enjoy a 'weird' journey, courtesy of Budget."

To compete in the "Up Your Budget Treasure Hunt," participants review clues posted on the site by Mark Sceurman and Mark Moran, the founders and publishers of "Weird U.S." To win the contest, players must guess the next Weird U.S. destination and how many total miles it takes to get there from the previous location. The first player with the closest guess to the exact mileage for the total weird trip of the week wins the grand prize of $25,000; second place receives $10,000 and third place wins $5,000.

Mark and Mark started Week One's journey at Devil's Tower in Alpine, N.J., and ended at Center of the World in Hartwell, Ga. -- a total of 1,762 miles. Budget congratulates the following players for accurately guessing the mileage it took to get there:

  * $25,000 Grand Prize - Bonnie Pagliaro, 60, of Waterford Works, N.J.
  * $10,000 Second Place - Jane Verwys, 25, of Chicago, Ill.
  * $5,000 Third Place - Lara Coup, 29, of Philadelphia, Penn.

The second week's road trip commenced at the "World's Largest Bottle" located at the Pabst Brewery in Newark, N.J. and ended the trip at "Dexter Grave's Face of Death Statue" at the Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Ill. The total mileage for the week was 1,203 and the winners are:

  * $25,000 Grand Prize - Gail Verwys, 58, of Rockford, Mich.
  * $10,000 Second Place - John Brown, 26, of Sugar Land, Tx.
  * $5,000 Third Place - Scott Taylor, 29, of San Diego, Calif.

For additional information on the contest or to register, visit http://www.upyourbudget.com/.

About Budget

Budget Rent A Car System, Inc. is the owner and franchiser of one of the world's best-known car rental brands, with more than 1,800 car rental locations in the US, Canada, Latin America, Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand. The company also operates Budget Truck Rental and is part of Avis Budget Car Rental, LLC (formerly Cendant Car Rental Group), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cendant Corporation , a diversified global provider of business and consumer services primarily within the travel and real estate sectors. For further information visit http://www.budget.com/ or http://www.cendant.com/media.