Dale Earnhardt Jr. Joins the EA SPORTS Family of Cover Athletes On NASCAR Thunder 2003.

Sports & Entertainment Editors/NASCAR Writers & Columnists

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 2002

NASCAR(R) superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. of DEI Racing will become the official cover athlete for the EA SPORTS(TM) franchise NASCAR Thunder(TM) 2003. Dale Jr. also contributed to the development of the game and his likeness will appear on all NASCAR Thunder 2003 packaging and merchandising.

"I've been a long time fan EA games, so to be on the cover of the NASCAR Thunder 2003 is quite a thrill for me," commented Dale Earnhardt Jr. "NASCAR Thunder helped me win the EA Sports 500 in Talladega this year and my first season on the circuit I would prepare for the upcoming event by racing my EA game over and over. NASCAR Thunder gives you the true experience and puts you 'in the game.'"

From the moment the 27-year-old Dale Earnhardt Jr. blasted on the scene in 1998, he was considered "the future of NASCAR." Dale is in the midst of his third full year of NASCAR Winston Cup competition for the team and is positioned nicely for another top finish in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The 2001 season marked his first top-10 points finish in NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing with the No. 8 team, while adding three victories and multi-million dollars in winnings to his brief but impressive racing resume. This included his win at the EA SPORTS 500 at Talladega Superspeedway(R) on October 21, 2001.

"Dale Jr. embodies the spirit and competitive edge that EA SPORTS captures in our NASCAR Thunder video games," said Ed Martin, Director of NASCAR video game production, Electronic Arts. "His contribution to the product has been invaluable, giving us design feedback and ideas on improving features and gameplay, we couldn't have a better driver grace the cover of NASCAR Thunder 2003."

About NASCAR Thunder(TM) 2003

NASCAR Thunder 2003 surrounds you with the emotion, sound, fury, and risks of the high-speed, high-drama career of a NASCAR star. Feel the adrenaline rush, intensity, and passion of being a NASCAR driver on a quest to become a NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion. Take on various real-life scenarios in Lightning Mode, complete with dramatic pileups, walls of smoke, and constant door-to-door, three-wide racing, to test your nerve and improve your racing skills. Build a racing legacy over the course of 20 drama-filled seasons. The title is slated to ship in fall 2002 on the PlayStation(R) 2 computer entertainment system and the PlayStation console, Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube(TM) and PC.

EA SPORTS (www.easports.com) is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world. Its top-selling franchises and games include FIFA Soccer, John Madden Football(TM), Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R) golf, NHL(R) hockey, Knockout Kings(TM), NBA LIVE basketball, Triple Play Baseball(TM) and NASCAR Thunder(TM).

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts, headquartered in Redwood City, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than $1.7 billion for fiscal 2002. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal computers and video game systems. EA markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA GAMES(TM), EA SPORTS BIG(TM) and EA.COM(SM). More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

About NASCAR Licensing

The NASCAR Licensing team that is based in Charlotte, N.C., is committed to creating programs that provide value to NASCAR sponsors, promotional partners, licensees as well as drivers, teams and tracks. Under the direction of vice president of strategic marketing and licensing, Steve Boguski, and managing director Dee Scott, the department researches new categories, licenses qualified companies, handles quality control, and develops retail partnerships in an effort to drive sales of NASCAR-licensed product.

Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and EA GAMES are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA.com is a service mark of EA.com Inc. All rights reserved. Talladega Superspeedway(R). NASCAR is a registered trademark and NASCAR Thunder is a trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. The name Dale Earnhardt, Jr., is licensed under the administration of Dale Earnhardt, Inc.. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo GameCube is a trademark of Nintendo. Microsoft and Xbox are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.