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Motorsports & Hollywood Unveil Small Soldiers-Themed Cars

1 July 1998

Motorsports & Hollywood Unveil Small Soldiers-Themed Cars - Action Performance, DreamWorks Consumer Products & Joe Gibbs Racing Team Up for Big Event -

    ORLANDO, Fla.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--July 1, 1998--Action Performance Companies Inc. (NASDAQ/NMS:ACTN), DreamWorks Consumer Products and Joe Gibbs Racing Wednesday unveiled three of motorsports' hottest race cars at the new "Small Soldiers...Behind the Scenes" attraction at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando.
    The companies have teamed on a special motorsports merchandising program, cross-promotional tie-in for the summer release of the film Small Soldiers. The film is a co-production of DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures.
    NASCAR Winston Cup's Bobby Labonte, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac, NASCAR Busch Series' Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 44 Shell Pontiac and NHRA's Cruz Pedregon, driver of the Interstate Batteries/Hot Rod Magazine Pontiac Funny Car unveiled their respective cars in front of hundreds of fans during a special press event.
    Labonte debuts his car July 4, during the NASCAR Pepsi 400 Winston Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. Stewart debuts his car July 11, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., at the Myrtle Beach 250 NASCAR Busch Series race at Myrtle Beach Speedway.
    Pedregon races his car in three NHRA events, July 19, in Morrison, Colo., at the Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, July 26, in Sonoma, Calif., at the Autolite Nationals at Sears Point Raceway and August 2, in Seattle at the Prolong Super Lubricants Northwest Nationals at Seattle International Raceway.
    Said Fred W. Wagenhals, Action Performance chairman, president and chief executive officer, "We are very pleased to be partners with DreamWorks and use our marketing and licensing relationships to bring motorsports and the movie industry together in what is certainly the biggest cross-promotional merchandise program that has ever been developed between the two entertainment industries."
    Said Brad Globe, head of DreamWorks Consumer Products, "As an entertainment company, we are continually looking to broaden the appeal of our licensing and promotional programs for our properties. This partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and Action Performance provides a great opportunity for us to bring Small Soldiers to the motorsports world."
    "I'm extremely happy that each of our race teams is involved with Small Soldiers," said Joe Gibbs, team owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "It's very exciting for all of us, especially our sponsors, to be involved with a major motion picture."
    The cars feature the Small Soldiers' characters Major Chip Hazard of the Commando Elite and Archer, leader of the Gorgonites. Labonte's car also features additional characters Blitz Bazooka and Kip Killigan.
    Scheduled for release July 10, Small Soldiers is directed by Joe Dante, with Michael Finnell and Colin Wilson serving as producers. The film stars Kirsten Dunst, Gregory Smith, Jay Mohr, Phil Hartman, Kevin Dunn, David Cross, Ann Magnuson and Denis Leary, with Frank Langella as the voice of Archer, and Tommy Lee Jones as the voice of Chip Hazard.
    DreamWorks SKG was formed in October of 1994 by its three principal partners-Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen-as a single company to produce live-action motion pictures; animated feature films and television programs; network, syndicated and cable television programming; records; books; toys; consumer products and interactive entertainment.
    Universal Studios Florida, which opened in 1990, is the No. 1 movie studio and theme park in the world and is a joint venture between Universal Studios, a unit of The Seagram Company Ltd., a global beverage and entertainment company, and The Rank Group Plc.
    Action Performance Companies Inc. is the leader in the design, marketing and distribution of licensed motorsports merchandise. Its products include a broad range of motorsports-related apparel, souvenirs, die-cast car replica collectibles and other memorabilia.
    The company markets and distributes products through a variety of channels, including the 132,000-member Racing Collectables Club of America (RCCA), trackside at racing events, mass retail department stores, and a nationwide wholesale network of approximately 5,000 specialty dealers and distributors.
    Merchandise related to the Small Soldiers-themed cars will be available through Action's distribution channels and trackside at NASCAR and NHRA events.