Marlin scores top-10 at Talladega

Contact:  Nealie Hamilton, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, (704)
662-9642, nhamilton@ganassi.com <mailto:nhamilton@ganassi.com>

For Immediate Release

Marlin scores top-10 at Talladega 

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 6, 2003) --- Finishing in sixth place, Sterling
Marlin scored his fourth top-10 of the season in the Aaron's 499 at
Talladega Superspeedway.  With the top-10 finish, Marlin moved up to 16th
place in Winston Cup championship points.

Marlin started the race in 12th place and stayed in the front of the pack,
which enabled him to avoid "the big one" on lap 3.  The accident was started
by a flat tire on Ryan Newman's Dodge and included 27 other cars.

In typical Talladega fashion, Marlin moved up and down through the pack the
entire race but stayed within the top-15.  He took the lead on lap 31 and
32, which gave him five championship bonus points.  

For the Coors Light crew, the close call of the day came after a pit stop on
lap 64.  Marlin went back out during the caution and his car just quit - the
power was off and nothing worked.  As the Coors Light team held their
breath, Marlin hit the "kill switch" on the car and it started back up
again.  He had accidentally hit it and turned off the car.

Although Marlin raced in the top-15 all day during the Aaron's 499, only the
last lap counts.  With eight laps to go, Marlin shuffled from fourth to
seventh to fifth, to eleventh and then up to sixth to take the checkered
flag on lap 188.

"We were just out there trying to get what we could get," Marlin said after
the race.  "I think we're still off a little bit. I got the lead one time
and they about ran over me going back by me."

Ganassi teammates and rookies Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears both got caught
in the accident on lap 3.  McMurray's team was able to repair his car and
put him back on the track to finish 27th.  Mears' Target Dodge was totaled
and finished in 40th place.  Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8
Budweiser Chevrolet, won the race - his fourth straight win at Talladega
Superspeedway.  

The Coors Light team heads to Martinsville Speedway this weekend for the
Virginia 500.  The race will be broadcast live on April 13 on FOX television
and MRN radio.

XXX



Nealie Hamilton
Media Relations
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
office: (704) 662-9642 x1130
cell: (704) 500-6068
nhamilton@ganassi.com