or   Contact: Randi Appelbaum/DMS at 212-727-1802 or e-mail at RandiA@dmswire.com

TV NEWS ALERT

DALE EARNHARDT JR. WON
2003 Grands! Biscuits NMPA NASCAR
Most Popular Driver Award

WHAT: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 2003 Grands! Biscuits National Motorsports Press Association NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award.

Earnhardt Jr.’s win marked the first time both a son and a father have received the Most Popular Driver honor. Racing legend Dale Earnhardt won the award posthumously in 2001.

Thousands of fans nationwide placed more than 3 million votes as part of the only fan-based NASCAR award.

WHEN: Friday, Dec. 5, 2003, at 8:30 a.m. EST

WHERE: NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Breakfast, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City

HISTORY: Most Popular Driver dates back to 1956. It began as a simple driver poll and grew to include all NASCAR Winston Cup competitors. Later, it included all NASCAR members. Today, it’s a prestigious award voted on by racing fans nationwide.

For the second year, more than 3 million votes were cast. Jeff Gordon finished second, followed by Kevin Harvick, Steve Park, Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty and Bobby Labonte.

B-ROLL AVAILABLE

• Footage of winning driver, trophy and award presentation
• SOTs with winning driver
• Career highlight footage of winning driver