With fewer people expected to be traveling over the weekend, with nice weather on the way and with local NCAA football teams kicking off their seasons, the Labor Day holiday could prove very exciting in Durham.

People who have chosen to stay home can take the opportunity to come to Hendrick Durham Auto Mall during the "Employee Discount for Everyone" sale. All new 2008 vehicles will be sold at the GM employee price -- the lowest price possible -- until Tuesday. The dealership's sales department will be open on Labor Day, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Despite a significant drop in gas prices since last month, the number of people expected to travel over the holiday weekend is expected to decrease, according to AAA. About 720,300 North Carolina drivers are expected to travel more than 100 miles round-trip this weekend, a 0.08 percent decrease from the 2007 number of Labor Day road travelers.

Duke and North Carolina open their 2008 football seasons with home games on Saturday. The Blue Devils kick off against James Madison at 7 p.m., and the Tar Heels play McNeese State at 6 p.m.

The weekend actually kicked off on a special day: Believe it or not, Michael Jackson -- the King of Pop -- turned 50 years old on Friday. Music by the man who made "Thriller" famous and one of the entertainment industry's biggest icons may have people geared up for a thrilling weekend of fun in the sun as well as unbelievable car deals.

Don't miss out on the festivities. Come on down to Rick Hendrick Chevrolet at 409 S. Roxboro Street, just across from the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Labels: Blue Devils, Chevrolet Duke, Chevrolet North Carolina., Labels: Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, Labor Day, Michael Jackson, Tar Heels

Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall has great news for Corvette lovers and sports car enthusiasts:

Production has begun on the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Coupe.

The ZR1 is an American "supercar" that combines the latest technology and engineering enhancements in a unique design.

Equipped with an all-new 638-horsepower LS9 supercharged V-8 engine, the ZR1 can accelerate to 205 mph on the test track.

Built on the aluminum-intensive chassis, the ZR1 comes with 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires. The practical interior gets top-quality materials and craftsmanship that blend with the premium-quality performance of the car.

Chevrolet is bringing out a limited number of the 2009 Corvette ZR1. Visit Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall for more information.

Labels: Chevrolet Corvette Coupe, Labels: Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, Michelin, ZR1

Each day of this weekend marks the anniversary of a significant historic event, culminating with Sunday's anniversary of the start of the Klondike Gold Rush.

With that in mind, the folks at Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall are looking to have an historic weekend themselves with a huge sale that could set dealership records and in the process give the place the feel of a modern-day gold rush.

Amazing discounts, an opportunity to win a free Malibu and the chance to uncover other cash and prizes during a unique "Test Drive Challenge" could prove equal to the excitement of the weekend's other celebrations.

Here are the anniversaries being recognized across the country this weekend:

Friday, August 15, is the 39th anniversary of Woodstock, a wild, days-long party on a farm in Bethlehem, N.Y.

Saturday, August 16, is the 31st anniversary of Elvis Presley's death in Graceland, Tenn.

Sunday, August 17, is the 112th anniversary of the day that prospectors discovered gold in Alaska -- an event that set the stage for the Klondike Gold Rush made famous in stories and film.

Come to Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, at 409 S. Roxboro Street, just down from Durham Bulls Athletic Park, to experience similar joy to those who discovered gold. You can come away feeling very wealthy, and you may even do a little dance that would make those who attended Woodstock and the King of Rock and Roll very proud.

Labels: Elvis Presley, Klondike Gold Rush, Labels: Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, Woodstock

Pitching Phenom Makes Bulls Debut

Downtown Durham will be in for a treat Wednesday night.

David Price, the first overall pick in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft, will pitch for the Durham Bulls just down the street from Rick Hendrick Chevrolet.

In honor of the occasion, special baseball fans shopping for a vehicle can receive special deals from the staff of Durham's No. 1 dealership.

Price's first pitch Wednesday against the Norfolk Tides is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Price, who played collegiately for Vanderbilt, may not be on the Bulls' roster very long. He reportedly is being groomed to join the roster of the American League's Tampa Bay Rays, Durham's parent club and one of the top teams in Major League Baseball, by Sept. 1.

So far, Price has been equal to the hype. He is 11-0 as a professional pitcher (7-0 in class-A Vero Beach and 4-0 in double-A Montgomery, Ala) -- compiling a 1.89 ERA and holding opponents to a .206 batting average.

Wednesday will mark Price's triple-A debut, although he has pitched previously in Durham Bulls Athletic Park. As a member of the 2005 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, he went 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA in five games, tallying 39 strikeouts and 13 walks over 28.2 innings.

Wednesday's excitement will spread to the Rick Hendrick Chevrolet showroom, which will be open until 9 p.m. People at the dealership may feel as though they are at the game as a large and loud crowd is expected at the game.

So, come on down and join the fun

Tickets for Wednesday's game are on sale at www.durhambulls.com or by calling (919)956-BULL.

Labels: Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, David Price, Durham Bulls, Tampa Bay Rays, Major League Baseball, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Norfolk Tides

Labels: David Price, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Major League Baseball, Norfolk Tides, Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, Tampa bay Rays

Summer Olympics In Beijing

Michael Phelps opened his quest to win eight gold medals by qualifying 1.44 seconds faster than his rivals with an Olympic-record time in the 400-meter individual medley preliminaries.

Click here for the latest results from Beijing on the official web site of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Click here to see the official NBC 2008 Olympics web site.

PGA Championship in Michigan

Can J.B. Holmes, "the Masher," master the Oakland Hills course and win the PGA Championship, or will Phil Mickelson or Sergio Garcia jump up and take it?

Click here for live up-to-the-minute results from the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills in Michigan.

Following up a blog that was previously posted on the Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall web site, Chad Bullock of Durham was honored during the Teen Choice Awards program Monday night in Los Angeles.

Bullock, 19, won the "Do Something" award, as well as $10,000, during the ceremony that was televised by Fox TV and hosted by teen pop star Miley Cyrus.

Bullock started his work as an anti-smoking activist after losing his grandfather to lung cancer. He wrote a letter to the state Attorney General that eventually helped change some tobacco ads, and he also led an effort to make the Durham Bulls Athletic Park a smoke-free facility.

Bullock also spearheaded a recent project to get Golden Corral, a national restaurant chain headquartered in Raleigh, to go smoke-free. He also has been working to get the campus of Durham Technical Community College smoke-free.

The Teen Choice Awards were chosen by more than 30 million votes cast online by teenagers to honor celebrities in TV, film, music, sports and fashion.

Click here to see the previous blog item on Bullock and his nomination.

Labels: Chad Bullock, Do Something Awards, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham Technical Community College, Golden Corral, Miley Cyrus, Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, Teen Choice Awards

Believe it or not, Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall has an international presence.

That's right, if recent statistics are correct, the dealership is known worldwide.

The dealership's web site, www.rickhendrickchevrolet.com, enjoyed 3,756 visits from 24 countries last month, and each visitor stayed on the site for an average length of nearly three minutes.

Outside of the United States, the most visits came from India (233) and Canada (31). In fact, two of the visits from Canada resulted in the sale and delivery of two preowned Chevy trucks.

The web site had 14 visits from the United Kingdom, nine from Germany and four from Ireland. There were three queries from Iraq, two from Spain and two from Taiwan.

What is attracting all the visitors? Selection, prices and great deals.

So, if someone is ready to come from Canada or India and do business -- and if the dealership is prepared to deliver its vehicles to such faraway locales -- the prices must, indeed, be right, and the deals must, indeed, be great.

And just imagine the deals Durham residents can get right in their own backyard.

N.C. Recognized As Great Place To Do Business

Rick Hendrick Durham Auto Mall is operating in a great state in which to do business.

In the latest Forbes magazine rankings, North Carolina's warm coastline and growing work-force development contributed to its No. 4 ranking in the "Best States for Business" survey.

The magazine rated states in six categories: cost of doing business, labor force, regulatory environment, economy, growth prospects and quality of life.

Virginia was voted No. 1, Utah No. 2.

North Carolina also was voted the state with the best business climate by Site Selection magazine six of the last seven years.

Labels: Business, Canada, Durham, Forbes Magazine, Germany, India, Iraq, Ireland, North Carolina, Rick Hendrick Chevrolet, Site Selection Magazine, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom