Press Pass Premium® Sizzles with ALL-NEW 2003 Photography of
Top Drivers and Rookies

April 22, 2003 Charlotte, N.C. - As the NASCAR Winston Cup season heats-up, Press Pass Premium 2003 hits the market in April as the first NASCAR trading card set of the year to feature all new 2003 photography of the drivers and teams.

"Press Pass Premium marks the first time for collectors to see all new paint schemes, sponsor and driver/team changes, and the newest crop of NWC rookie drivers in our trading cards," said Mandy Kirkland, Product Manager for Press Pass, a division of Racing Champions (NASDAQ: RACN). "Photography from this set was captured during the Speedweeks activities leading up to the Daytona 500 in February."

In addition to offering collectors a variety of trading cards of hot NASCAR Winston Cup rookies such as Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle, Press Pass continues its dominance in memorabilia cards by showcasing the sport's top stars with Hot Threads race-used Firesuit cards. The firesuit card program is even better this year with the all-new Signature Series autograph version where top drivers sign hobby and retail versions of the Hot Threads memorabilia cards, creating excitement and cross-over collecting opportunities in both the hobby and retail markets.

The popular Press Pass Signings autograph program kicks-off in Premium with three distinct levels. Continuing in Press Pass Premium is the Year-Long Total Memorabilia Program offering collectors Double Burner (hobby only) and Triple Burner (retail only) multi-piece memorabilia cards from Earnhardt Jr., Gordon, Stewart, and other superstars of NASCAR.

Other inserts include three-tiered red-foil Reflector parallel cards (Contenders, 1:1 packs; Champs & Challengers, 1:12 packs; Premium Choice, 1:48 packs); silver foil, double-etched Performance Driven (1:24); holofoil, foil stamped In The Zone (1:12 packs); and Dale Earnhardt 10th Anniversary Series printed with silver foil (1:72), paralleled with gold foil (sequentially numbered to 250) hobby only. Press Pass Premium is scheduled for a late April release.

Racing Champions Ertl (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 offerings include 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 its products by linking them with highly recognized licensed properties including NASCAR, NHRA, John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Case, Polaris, Honda, Caterpillar, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Texaco, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Hit 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.