Top Prospect:
Press Pass® Introduces the First Ever NASCAR Busch Series Memorabilia
Program
June 3, 2003 Charlotte, N.C. - It's no secret that the NASCAR
Busch Series has become a stepping stone for young drivers to gain
more experience and exposure in their efforts to move up to NASCAR
Winston Cup racing. Several of this year's talented NASCAR Winston
Cup rookies (including Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, and Casey Mears)
were competitors on the NASCAR Busch Series in 2002. Other recent
graduates of the NBS include Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, and Kevin
Harvick. In order to give collectors a chance to collect memorabilia
cards of future NWC talent, Press Pass has created Top Prospect,
a unique program that features race-used memorabilia cards from
some of the rising stars of the NBS.
Top Prospect cards will be appearing in three Press Pass products:
Press Pass 2003 Trackside, Press Pass 2003 Stealth, and Press Pass
2003 Optima. The roster consists of six talented drivers that are
making a name for themselves on the NBS. Drivers featured in the
program include Brian Vickers (driver of the #5 GMAC Chevy), Shane
Hmiel (driver of the #48 Dark Dog Pontiac), Scott Riggs (driver
of the #10 Nesquick Ford), and Scott Wimmer (driver of the #23 Stacker
2 Chevy). Top Prospect cards can be found 1 in every 168 hobby packs
and feature four cards of each driver that showcase different memorabilia
pieces: race-used tires (numbered to 400), race-used sheet metal
(numbered to 250), race-used shoes (numbered to 200), and race-used
gloves (numbered to 100).
"With so many talented drivers moving from the NASCAR Busch
Series to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and having immediate success,
we wanted to provide collectors with an opportunity to obtain their
first race-used memorabilia cards before they become NASCAR Winston
Cup stars," said Heather Maillard, associate product manager
for Press Pass, a division of RC2 (NASDAQ: RCRC). "These Top
Prospect race-used memorabilia cards will be the first ever race-used
memorabilia cards produced of all six drivers in the program."
Top Prospects cards will first be available in packs of Press Pass
2003 Trackside, releasing on June 17th.
RC2 (www.rc2corp.com) is a leading producer and marketer of high
quality, innovative collectibles and toys targeted at adult collectors
and children. The Company's diverse product offerings include: agricultural,
construction and outdoor sports vehicle replicas; automotive, high
performance and racing vehicle replicas; traditional children's
toys; sports trading cards, racing apparel and souvenirs; and collectible
figures. These products are sold under the Company's market-focused
brand names, including Racing Champions®, Ertl®, Ertl Collectibles®,
Learning Curve, American Muscle™, AMT®, W. Britain®,
Press Pass®, Eden®, Feltkids® and JoyRide Studios™.
The Company supports its brands and enhances the authenticity of
its products by linking them with highly recognized licensed properties
from John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Hit Entertainment, Lamaze, Case,
Polaris, Honda, Caterpillar, Ford, GM, DaimlerChrysler, NASCAR,
NHRA, Texaco, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, DIC Entertainment,
Nintendo, Sega, Electronic Arts and Microsoft. The Company's products
are marketed through multiple channels of distribution, including
chain retailers, specialty and hobby wholesalers and retailers,
OEM dealers, corporate accounts for promotional purposes and direct
to consumers. The Company sells through more than 20,000 retail
outlets located in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
