"Enduring relationships with standout sports organizations like NASCAR allow EA to deliver the authenticity, simulation, and competition that fans of the EA SPORTS brand have come to expect," said Chip Lange, vice president of marketing for EA SPORTS. "Partnering with NASCAR the past seven years has been a great experience and we're excited about continuing this relationship and extending the reach of our NASCAR Thunder franchise to both NASCAR and video game fans."
"While it is rare for NASCAR to enter into an exclusive licensing arrangement, Electronic Arts has truly stood out in the longstanding efforts to support the entire NASCAR industry," said Blake Davidson, managing director, licensed products for NASCAR. "Additionally, EA is a sophisticated marketer, and their creative advertising and promotional efforts will help NASCAR continue to attract young fans, which is an important part of our overall growth strategy."
NASCAR Thunder 2004 shipped last week for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PlayStation® console, the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, and PC CD-ROM. NASCAR Thunder 2004 is developed by EA Tiburon. Packaging and merchandising will feature the reigning NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion, Tony Stewart.
EA is the sponsor of the EA SPORTS 500 race, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway®, Sept. 28, 2003. Tickets are still available for the race weekend at 1-800-PITSHOP or 256-362-RACE or visit the track's official website at talladegasuperspeedway.com.