•Clean your cupboards of P&G products (contact us for a complete list). Send the products to 1 Procter & Gamble Plaza, Cincinnati, OH 45202, and explain why you want a refund. In the U.K., send products to: St. Nicholas Ave., Gosforth, Newcastle NE99 1EE. •Write to PETA for a stack of “Died” fliers to give to friends, family, neighbors and coworkers. In the U.K., write to PETA for a stack of “Scary” leaflets.

This spring, PETA joined the NASCAR racing circuit, traveling 20,000 miles in 10 weeks. Our eye-catching “Died” car (a redecorated 1998 Ford Taurus), accompanied by a team of Laundry Ladies, competed for public attention to help the animals cruelly poisoned and killed every year by Tide manufacturer Procter & Gamble. What’s the connection between race cars and animal rights? P&G sponsors NASCAR racer Ricky Rudd, who drives the company’s high-profile Tide car.

P&G is one of the largest makers of household and personal care products—and one of the last animal-testing holdouts. More than 550 other companies have abandoned animal tests for more humane and reliable methods—including cell cultures and sophisticated computer models—but P&G continues to pay laboratory workers to poison animals. Typical tests include dripping chemicals into rabbits’ sensitive eyes, smearing them on guinea pigs’ shaved, raw skin and forcing them down dogs’ throats. None of these cruel tests is required by law.

...to P&G HQ, Cincinnati --PETA's "Died" car is seen everywhere!

Before we put the pedal to the metal, we asked Ricky Rudd to urge P&G to stop testing on animals. Rudd did not reply, but his race team spokesperson told West Virginia’s Charleston Daily Mail, “What we do is race, and we don’t have anything to do with” P&G’s animal tests. He forgot to mention that Rudd receives big bucks to promote Tide. P&G started running scared. In one town, racetrack officials used the local sheriff’s office to bar the “Died” car—until our lawyer had a serious talk with them about free speech. Then P&G brought out free samples of Tide detergent to try to win over spectators. Of course, the Laundry Ladies had handouts, too: More than 1 million P&G fliers went to NASCAR fans, asking them not to buy while the animals die.