“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® 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™ 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®2 computer entertainment system and the Playstation console, Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube™ 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™, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, NHL® hockey, Knockout Kings™, NBA LIVE basketball, Triple Play Baseball™ and NASCAR Thunder™.