"M&M's" Chocolate Candies Begins the Countdown to the Millennium.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Oct. 9, 1999--

Action Performance, "M&M's" (R) Racing Team Driver Jerry Nadeau 

and MB2 Motorsports Get The Party On-Track

"M&M's" (R) Racing Team driver Jerry Nadeau joined retired driver Ernie Irvan and the "M&M's" (R) Red and Yellow Spokescharacters at Lowe's Motor Speedway today to help rev up their role as "Official Candy of the New Millennium" with a special press conference and ribbon-cutting/unveiling ceremony.

The No. 36 Pontiac will bear two special paint schemes celebrating the countdown to the new millennium in a two-part cross-promotional program developed by Action Performance Companies Inc. (Nasdaq: ACTN), the "M&M's" (R) Brand and MB2 Motorsports. Nadeau will drive both cars which bear Irvan's name, as a tribute to the former "M&M's" Racing Team driver's 13-year career.

The ribbon was cut on a Countdown-themed car Nadeau will race this weekend in the NASCAR Winston Cup UAW-GM Quality 500.

The paint scheme features the colorful "M&M's" Spokescharacters lifting the car's signature yellow paint up like a car cover, giving fans a sneak peek at the next Millennium-themed car. The Millennium Party car also was unveiled today and will make its exclusive one-time race appearance at the NAPA 500 in Atlanta on Nov. 21, the final Winston Cup race of the 1999 season.

Why give the car a Countdown to the New Millennium theme? Fred Wagenhals, Action Performance chairman, president and chief executive officer said, "I had a lunch scheduled with M&M/MARS and we asked the Spokescharacters to join us - our treat.

"Red marched right in and started pacing back and forth on my desk, insisting that the millennium was right around the corner and it was our duty to get the party started immediately. Ideas started flowing and soon we had concepts for millennium-themed die-cast collectibles, hats, T-shirts, etc. It was very exciting. Come to think of it, we worked right through lunch that day."

Tim Quinn, M&M/MARS national sponsorship manager said, "Red convinced us that race fans were hungry for a taste of the millennium. He felt so strongly about getting the party started, he even suggested that Yellow could be the front-character positioned on the hood of the Countdown car, for all the fans to see.

"Yellow was nuts about the idea and we are confident it will put the excitement of "M&M's" Racing into the hands of the fans."

Nadeau said, "As their designated driver, I can tell you that when those characters decide it's time for a party, they can be pretty irresistible. They've partied with just about everyone in racing from the fans to the pit crews, so it didn't take long before they got the whole "M&M's" Racing Team excited about the millennium program. I was happy when they asked me to drive the cars and join the celebration."

Action will design, market and distribute a variety of exclusively designed collectible die-cast replica cars, apparel items and other merchandise with the Countdown and Millennium Party themes, which will be available trackside and through Action's established distribution channels. Related Hasbro Winner's Circle(R) products will be available through mass retail outlets.

MB2 Motorsports, owned by Read Morton, Nelson Bowers and Tom Beard, was formed in 1996 and entered the Winston Cup arena in 1997. The team's primary sponsor is "M&M's" (R) Chocolate Candies with associate sponsorship from Call-N-Carry.

"M&M's"(R) Chocolate Candies is the number one confectionery brand in the world. "M&M's"(R) is a registered trademark of Mars Inc. M&M/MARS, a division of Mars Inc., manufactures and distributes a wide variety of high quality snack foods.

Action Performance Companies Inc. is the leader in the design, marketing, promotion and distribution of licensed motorsports merchandise. Its products include a broad range of motorsports-related die-cast car replica collectibles, apparel, souvenirs, and other memorabilia.

The company markets and distributes products through a variety of channels, including the 167,000-member Racing Collectables Club of America (RCCA), online through SpeedMall at goracing.com, trackside at racing events, mass retail department stores, and a worldwide network of wholesale distributors and specialty dealers.