PRESS RELEASE

Rush Enterprises Announces Acquisition of Denver Peterbilt

5 March 1997

Rush Enterprises Completes Acquisition of Denver Peterbilt, Inc.


    SAN ANTONIO, March 4 -- Rush Enterprises, Inc.
today announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of
Denver Peterbilt, Inc.  The transaction was valued at approximately
$7.9 million, plus a contingent payment based on future performance of the
purchased dealership.  The purchase price was paid in a combination of cash
and the assumption of certain liabilities.
    RUSH will continue to operate the Denver-based company as a full-service
Peterbilt franchise in Denver and Greeley and integrate its operations with
the Rush Truck Center system.  RUSH reported revenue of $262 million in 1995
and $251 million through the first nine months of 1996.  Denver Peterbilt had
revenues of $35 million and $25 million for the same two periods.
    W. Marvin Rush, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rush Enterprises,
Inc., stated, "This acquisition demonstrates our commitment to continued
profitable growth.  We will join forces with a very well-run operation and
offer our consistently high-quality products and service over a much larger
service territory."
    Rush Enterprises is one of the largest heavy-duty truck dealers in the
country.  Its current operations include a network of truck centers located in
Texas, California, Oklahoma, Louisiana and now Colorado.  These truck centers
provide an integrated, one-stop source for the retail sale of new Peterbilt
and used heavy-duty trucks of various makes; aftermarket parts, service and
body shop facilities; and a wide array of financial services, including the
financing of truck sales, insurance products, and truck leasing and rentals.
    Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking" statements
(as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995).  Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual
results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to, those discussed in filings made by the
Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE  Rush Enterprises, Inc.

CONTACT: Martin A. Naegelin, Jr., Vice President & CFO of Rush Enterprises, 210-829-1050
or fax, 210-826-8218; or Tom Ennis of Cameron Associates, 212-245-8800