Monster Trucks: An Xtreme Exhibit; New Exhibit Crashes Into The New Detroit Science Center January 15, 2005

DETROIT, Jan. 12, 2005 -- Get ready to drop the hammer and race down to The New Detroit Science Center when Monster Trucks: An Xtreme Exhibit opens to the public this Saturday, Jan. 15, 2005. This one-of-a-kind exhibit on monster trucks and the science behind building and driving them will be at the Science Center through May 29, 2005.

Monster Trucks brings together the thrills and spills of motor sports with leading-edge science and technology. Kid-friendly interactive displays demonstrate the scientific principles that give these monster machines their remarkable power and still make them safe for drivers and fans alike.

Visitors can climb into the cab of Grave Digger -- a superstar of the Monster Jam racing circuit -- and watch videos of spectacular crashes from actual monster-truck events. Exhibit-goers also can learn real-life stories of the drivers, people as interesting as the vehicles themselves.

Visitors to Monster Trucks: An Xtreme Exhibit can:

* Get up close to Hot Wheels, a real monster truck, while viewing videos of drivers, their personal stories and spectacular crashes from actual monster truck events

* Experience the thrill of climbing into the cab of Grave Digger, sitting behind the driver's seat, touching the controls and getting a driver's-eye view from 12-feet high

* View the scientific principles on which the drive train of a monster truck is built

* Test shock absorbers to find one in working order

* Turn a massive terra tire, 66 inches high and 43 inches wide, using a planetary gear

* Learn about the processes, tools and people that create 3-D monster truck bodies

* Test windshield durability, remote ignition interruption switches, seats and seat belts

* View special clothing and equipment demonstrating the latest in technological research

Just more than two decades ago, the first monster truck stunned 70,000 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome when it crushed two cars in a single blow. Now for the first time ever, you can discover the science behind these monster machines and experience the phenomenon that has swept the country when Monster Trucks: An Xtreme Exhibit opens at The New Detroit Science Center.

Admission to Monster Trucks: An Xtreme Exhibit is $4 for adults and $2 for children age 2 and up and seniors, with paid general admission. The exhibit was produced by Clear Channel Exhibitions and is sanctioned by Clear Channel Entertainment - Motor Sports.

The New Detroit Science Center features 110,000 square feet of scientific exploration, including Michigan's only IMAX(R) Dome Theatre; the Dassault Systemes Planetarium; the Ford Learning Resource Center; the DTE Energy Sparks Theater; the DaimlerChrysler Science Stage; an 8,700 square-foot Science Hall for traveling exhibits; five exhibit laboratories -- General Motors Motion Laboratory, Dow Foundation Life Sciences Laboratory, Waves & Vibrations Laboratory, Matter & Energy Laboratory and SBC Children's Gallery; and a Special Events Lobby. It has served more than 1.2 million visitors in its first 3 years. For more information, please call 313-577-8400 or visit the website, http://www.detroitsciencecenter.org/