NEW YORK, Feb 5, 2002/ FW/ --- Sofía Vergara, one of the hottest Hispanic T.V. stars and one of the most loved personalities of the Latino world, has been named Grand Marshall of the Grand Prix of the Americas, a high voltage street race slated for the streets of downtown Miami on April 5-7, 2002.

The announcement was made by the principals of Raceworks, Inc. Peter J. Yanowitch, Willy A. Bermello, and international racing legend, Emerson Fittipaldi.

Vergara's appearance will coincide with the release of her new motion picture "Big Trouble", starring Tim Allen and Rene Russo. The Disney comedy, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, opens in theatres April 5, 2002.

Vergara was cast in the role of "Nina" after her humorous presentation at the American Comedy Awards on the Fox Network.

Vergara will also be participating in the Celebrity Race, which will take place Sunday, April 7th.

This race features a professional racecar driver paired with a celebrity who competes together in a timed four-lap event against approximately ten other pro/celebrity teams. The fastest team times will entitle the top five finishers to a donation to each of the celebrity team member's charity of choice.

"I love Miami and I love auto racing," said Vergara, "so this gives me a chance to enjoy two loves at once with no guilt."

In addition to her growing modeling and entertainment career, Vergara is a successful businesswoman: her web page www.Sofíavergara.com averages 12 million hits a month. She has sold more calendars than anyone else in the Hispanic community.

She kicked off the millennium with her calendar Sofia 2000 which became one of the highest selling publications of this type by a Hispanic personality.

She has graced over 50 covers of International magazines, hosted dozens of top Hispanic events each watched by more than 100 million viewers.

Only months after her affiliation with Bally's Health Clubs as their National Spokesperson, she has been credited for having increased membership in the Latin Community, by an impressive 44%, when print and T.V. advertisements ran nationwide in English and Spanish.

The Grand Prix of the Americas will feature several race series over a three-day weekend and will attract a projected 50,000 to 75,000 local and international spectators to downtown Miami.

Race activities will commence on Friday, April 5 with practice and qualifying activities for each of the series.

The Trans Am Series race is scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, April 6. The main racing event -- the American Le Mans Series -- will be on Sunday afternoon. This event will be televised nationally on CBS and internationally on Eurosports, as well as via the Internet.

"The Grand Prix of the Americas is bringing a sexy international event to a sexy international city. Sofía Vergara symbolizes the great qualities that our event and our town have to offer. It is a privilege for us to have her as the Grand Marshall of our inaugural race. Her presence will make the event memorable for all of us and especially to the racing fans", said Peter Yanowitch, President/Founder of Raceworks, the promoters of The Grand Prix of the Americas.

Raceworks, founded by Miami motorsports industry attorney Peter J. Yanowitch and Miami architect and developer Willy A. Bermello, secured the exclusive rights to stage an American LeMans Series professional motorsports race in the streets of Downtown Miami.

More information on Raceworks and the Grand Prix of the Americas may be found at www.miamirace.com