Avid NASCAR Fan Thrilled to Win One-of-a-kind Wheels High Gear Flag

September 10, 2002 Charlotte, N.C. - After receiving thousands of entries for the Wheels High Gear 2002 Power Pick Contest, Carl Whalen from Amelia, Ohio was chosen as the grand prize winner of a special, autographed checkered flag. Upon receiving the coveted flag, featuring the 2002 Wheels High Gear logo and 40 NASCAR Winston Cup drivers' signatures, Carl Whalen shared his thoughts about winning the contest. "Needless to say, there was excitement and disbelief at the Whalen house, said Whalen. "With so many entries, how could I have won?"

The flag is currently on display in the Whalen's "NASCAR Room". This custom made one-of-a-kind piece of racing history is already getting attention from other interested collectors. The Whalen's have already received offers of over $3,000.00 for the flag.

"Flag Chasers race-used NASCAR flag memorabilia cards are the centerpiece of our Wheels High Gear brand. The introduction of the Flag Chaser Power Pick Contest was a natural extension that offered collectors a chance at an extremely unique collectible," stated Heather Maillard, associate product manager for Press Pass, a division of Racing Champions (NASDAQ: RACN). "After the positive response we received to the 2002 contest, we have decided to offer a similar contest to collectors in our 2003 Wheels High Gear product."

Look for details soon on a new Wheels High Gear Power Pick Contest that will debut in Wheels High Gear next February.

Racing Champions (www.rcertl.com) is a leading producer and marketer of innovative collectibles and toys targeted at males of all ages. The Company's diverse product offering includes scaled die-cast replicas of John Deere agricultural equipment and NASCAR stock cars, other licensed vehicle replicas, pre-teen 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®, American Muscle™, AMT®, W. Britain®, Press Pass® and JoyRide Studios™. The Company reinforces its brands and enhances the authenticity of our products by linking them with highly recognized licensed properties including NASCAR, NHRA, John Deere, Case IH, Polaris, Honda, Caterpillar, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Texaco, Warner Brothers, Gullane Entertainment, Nintendo, Sega and Electronic Arts. The Company's products are marketed through multiple channels of distribution, including mass retailers and specialty and hobby wholesalers and retailers, OEM dealers and to corporate accounts for promotional purposes. The Company sells through more than 20,000 retail outlets located in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

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