"NASCAR Thunder" store opening

>From NASCAR Public Relations Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALL-START OPENING OF FIRST "NASCAR THUNDER' STORE SET FOR GWINNETTPLACE MALL IN ATLANTA

Darrell Waltrip, Richard And Kyle Petty To Greet Fans Atlanta Ga. -- May 1 1996 -- The first NASCAR THUNDER, the "Official Store of NASCAR " will open its doors Saturday, May 11 at GwinnettPlace Mall in Atlanta With Darrell Waltrip "The King of NASCAR" Richard Petty and Kyle Petty among the stars of NASCAR Winston Cup racing to participate in the opening day celebration. The NASCAR-themed retail store is a unique shopping experience bringing entertainment retailing to a new dimension. The 4,200 square foot store will feature exclusive NASCAR THUNDER merchandise and a TNN Motorsports brand called GO RACING. In addition, an electronic information board a 12-multi-screen video wall and unique driver- oriented apparel, gifts, souvenirs, collectibles and exclusive artwork will be featured. Darrell Waltrip three-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion will be on hand to officially open the NASCAR THUNDER doors and greet fans at 10:00 AM on Saturday May 11. The winningest active driver on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit with 84 victories Waltrip will also Join TNN personality Katie Haas for a special question & answer session in which race fans can quiz Waltrip on his racing strategy the race team etc.

"NASCAR THUNDER is going to be terrific for the race fans and what better place to open the first store but Atlanta where some of the most loyal NASCAR fans live "says Waltrip. "I am excited to be a part of the grand opening and even plan on doing a little early Christmas shopping at the store as well."

Engines will "rev-up" Saturday afternoon when NASCAR Winston Cup star Kyle Petty leads over 200 motorcycle riders from the "Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America" to NASCAR THUNDER. Riding alongside Kyle will be his father Richard Petty, along with NASCAR drivers Steve Grissom, Harry Gant, Geoff Bodine, and Michael Waltrip. The drivers will be on hand to celebrate the opening of NASCAR THUNDER with a charity auction and a question & answer session with the fans Sam Bass, known among race fans as one of the premier motorsports artists, will also be appearing on Saturday to autograph exclusive racing artwork available at NASCAR THUNDER. GwinnettPlace Mall, a 1.5 million square foot, two-level enclosed super-regional center, features 220 stores including Macy's, Mervyn's, Parisian, Rich's, and Sears. It is located off I-85 North at Exit 40. TNN: The Nashville Network, a division of Gaylord Entertainment Company (NYSE:GET), has an exclusive licensing agreement with NASCAR to own, operate, and manage a nationwide chain of NASCAR THUNDER retail stores. Plans call for up to five NASCAR THUNDER stores to open in 1996. The NASCAR THUNDER store is an extension of the tremendous appeal and value of the NASCAR brand name and the demand for NASCAR merchandise, which in 1995 reached sales in excess of 5650 million and is projected to continue to grow to $1 billion by 1998.

For further information, contact:

Cameron Hall/Primedia   404/892-2287 
John Gnffin/NASCAR      904/947-6773
Nancy Neil/TNN            615/871-6996

Jack Durbin indy500@freenet.tlh.fl.us Motorsport News International jackd@motorsport.com (Moderators for "rec.autos.sport.info") Homepage http://www.freenet.tlh.fl.us/users/indy500/index.html