#40 - Coors Light Talladega Prerace Report

CONTACT:  Nealie Hamilton, Chip Ganassi Racing, 704/662-9642,
nhamilton@ganassi.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2002


STERLING MARLIN
COORS CHIP GANASSI RACING with FELIX SABATES
#40 COORS LIGHT DODGE INTREPID R/T
PRE-RACE REPORT: TALLADEGA


EVENT:		Aaron's 499
		Talladega Superspeedway, 2.66-mile tri-oval
			
DATES:		Qualifying: April 19, 2002
		Race: April 21, 2002
			
BROADCAST:	Television: FOX race coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. EDT
		Radio: MRN race coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. EDT
		Race begins at 2 p.m. EDT


COORS LIGHT TEAM FACTS

·	Talladega:  In 38 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Marlin
has scored nine top-5 and 14 top-10 finishes.  He has two wins and three
poles the track.  Marlin scored back-to-back wins at Talladega (July 1995
and April 1996).
·	Car: The Coors Light team will take car #005 to Talladega.  Car #005
is the same car that raced during the 2002 Speedweeks in Daytona.  Crew
chief Lee McCall said, "It's the exact same car, the only thing we did was
fix the fender a little better than Sterling did during the race."
·	Championship: Marlin remains first in championship points for the
seventh straight race (Rockingham to Martinsville).  He is the only driver
to rank in the top-10 in NASCAR Winston Cup championship points since the
2001 Daytona 500.
·	Consistent: Marlin has finished in the top-10 in all but two of the
races this season including non-points races.  His two finishes outside of
the top-10 were 19th at Bristol and 12th at Martinsville.  Marlin has
qualified outside of the top-10 for all but one races this season including
non-points races.  He started sixth at Rockingham.


<Marlin Talladega stats attached>

###

Nealie Hamilton
Media Relations
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
704-662-9642 x1130 / office
704-957-9933 / cell