Wheels High Gear 2004 To Feature The Last NASCAR Winston Cup Series Race-Used Flags

January 19, 2004 Charlotte, N.C. - Flag Chasers™ race-used flag cards have been the featured memorabilia card in Wheels High Gear since 1998. This year's cards commemorate a landmark event in NASCAR history, the final year of Winston's NASCAR sponsorship. The 2004 Flag Chasers™ cards (1:144 Hobby, 1:240 Retail) showcase nine 2003 race winners paired with each of the seven different flags, including the last "Unocal 76" checkered flag, sporting the orange, black, and white colors that have been associated with NASCAR for more than 40 years.

Wheels High Gear 2004 brings back a popular contest with a one-of-a-kind prize, a Wheels High Gear 2004 checkered flag. This unique flag will be autographed by the cast of drivers starring in the inaugural 2004 Nextel Cup championship chase, including Dale Earnhardt Jr, several past champions, and a promising crop of rookies. The winner of this flag will have an extremely unique souvenir from this groundbreaking year of change in NASCAR history.

There are several other noteworthy inserts found in Wheels High Gear 2004 including Wheels Authentic Autographs, an autograph program that features NASCAR's past, present, and future stars (1:60 Hobby, 1:196 Retail). Custom Shop™, a Wheels original, allows collectors some creative freedom to construct their own card by choosing their favorite card front and back (1:200). As part of the Winston Victory Lap program, Wheels High Gear 2004 will feature a special insert of the six multiple Winston Cup Champions (1:48) and a special Hobby-Only version sequentially numbered to 100.

"We are very excited to include the last Winston Cup Series flags in Wheels High Gear 2004," explained Heather Maillard, associate product manager for Press Pass, a division of RC2 (NASDAQ: RCRC). "Lucky collectors that pull Flag Chasers cards not only get a great race-used trading card of a top driver, but an important piece of NASCAR Winston Cup history."

The Wheels High Gear 2004 base set consists of 72 colorful cards printed on premium quality 24-point card stock and releases on January 21, 2004.

RC2 (www.rc2corp.com) is a leading producer and marketer of high quality, innovative collectibles and toys targeted at adult collectors and children, as measured by sales and brand recognition. 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 and 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.