No Worries for Evernham Motorsports as Disney's 'The Lion King's' Simba, Timon and...

[igor@af]

JOLIET, Ill., July 11 -- Evernham Motorsports is
set to roar into the Kansas Speedway when the NASCAR Winston Cup Series heads
there for a weekend of racing October 3-5. The team announced today that the
No. 9 and No. 19 Dodge Intrepids driven by Bill Elliott and Jeremy Mayfield
during the Kansas race weekend will feature special paint schemes displaying
characters from the Disney animated movie, "The Lion King."
"I think it's great anytime you can give the fans something exciting and
different," said Ray Evernham, president and CEO, Evernham Motorsports. "This
is a great partnership for our organization and everyone involved with Dodge.
I know I loved watching 'The Lion King,' and I'm sure there are many race
families out there who did, too. I'm sure both Dodge Intrepids will be
popular, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear people saying, 'hakuna matata'
all weekend."
Elliott's No. 9 Dodge Intrepid will feature the character of Simba as an
adult. Mayfield's No. 19 Dodge Intrepid will feature Simba's life-long
friends, Timon and Pumbaa. The cars are part of a special promotion between
Dodge and Disney to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the "King of Minivans"
-- the Dodge Caravan -- and the Oct. 7 DVD release of the highest-grossing
animated film ever, "The Lion King." A $500 discount coupon on Caravan will
be included in "The Lion King: Special Edition" DVD case and a consumer
sweepstakes program will run this fall with the winner receiving a Dodge
Caravan.
"Both Dodge and Disney are all about connecting with families," said Julie
Roehm, Director, Dodge Communications. "We partnered in the past with Disney
with the release of 'Monsters, Inc.,' and it was a tremendous success. Now it
makes perfect sense to do so again. And 'The Lion King' paint schemes on the
Evernham Motorsports Dodge Intrepids are an integral part of the promotion.
When the cars hit the track in October, thousands of families in the
grandstands and television audience will be cheering for Dodge and Disney."
Action Performance Companies is the exclusive supplier of replica die-cast
collectibles related to the Evernham Motorsports "The Lion King: Special
Edition" promotion. Sales of Lion King-themed Dodge Intrepid die-casts will
be handled in Action's usual settings including its 18-member Action Racing
Collectables distributor network (1-800-411-8404) and its exclusive
collector's club, Racing Collectables Club of America (1-800-952-0708 or
http://www.goracing.com ). Dodge/Lion King die-cast replicas will be available fall
2003.

About Evernham Motorsports
Evernham Motorsports is a professional race team fielding two cars, the
No. 9 and the No. 19 Dodge Intrepids, in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.
Evernham Motorsports is committed to building championship race teams through
dedication, teamwork and technology. For more information about Evernham
Motorsports, log on to http://www.evernhammotorsports.com .

About Action Performance Companies:
Action Performance Companies Inc. (NYSE: ATN) is the leader in the design,
promotion, marketing and distribution of licensed motorsports merchandise.
The Company's products include a broad range of motorsports-related die-cast
replica collectibles, apparel, souvenirs and other sports-inspired
memorabilia. Action Performance markets and distributes products through a
variety of channels including the Action Racing Collectables network of
wholesale distributors, the Racing Collectables Club of America, QVC,
goracing.com , trackside at racing events, direct corporate promotions, mass
retail and department stores, specialty dealers and select online retailers.
For more information about Action Performance and its many subsidiaries,
please visit the company's corporate Web site at http://www.action-performance.com .



SOURCE Chrysler Group
Web Site: http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com
http://www.goracing.com http://www.evernhammotorsports.com
http://www.action-performance.com