Electronic Arts announced today that its NASCAR® video game franchise
will be renamed NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cupâ„¢ to reflect both the changes
in the 2004 NASCAR® NEXTEL Cup Series™ and revolutionary additions
to the upcoming game from the EA SPORTSâ„¢ brand, in stores August 31st.
NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup features Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29
GM Goodwrench Chevrolet, as the cover athlete and a dynamic new ’story mode’
where drivers start from humble beginnings in entry-level racing series and
work their way up to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Once players have earned
a NASCAR ride they compete for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship — and the
stardom that comes with it — under the new points system.

Kevin Harvick was selected as the cover athlete because his career path mirrors
the experience gamers can have in NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup. Harvick’s
personal chase for the Cup began when he received a go-kart for kindergarten
graduation launching a career that has landed him in just about every NASCAR
series. He is the only driver in history to win Rookie of the Year honors in
NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck, Busch and Nextel Cup Series. Harvick is now in a position
to join the inaugural Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup this fall and his first
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship.

“It is an honor to be on the cover of the new NASCAR 2005: Chase for the
Cup,” Harvick said. “EA SPORTS has really blown the game out by not
only adding all the new racing series, but by capturing the personalities and
off track drama that really drives our sport.”

NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup challenges players to battle through a ground-breaking
new story mode to rise from entry-level series to NASCAR stardom. Drivers compete
for opportunities in NASCAR Featherlite Modified, NASCAR Craftsman Truck, and
NASCAR National rides before competing for million-dollar purses in the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series. Players can develop their racing skills and intimidate their
rivals on the track with all-new controls, and continue the action off the track
with post-race confrontations, including opportunities to settle disputes with
NASCAR stars by racing America’s top production cars through city streets. Fans
react to the drama, idolizing both NASCAR heroes and villains with every move,
while owners and sponsors recognize talent and reward success.

NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, developed by EA Tiburon, will be in stores
on August 31st for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox®
video game system from Microsoft, and the Nintendo GameCubeâ„¢. The game
is rated “E” for (Everyone) by the ESRB.

In addition to NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, a new, standalone NASCAR PC
title is being designed expressly for simulation racing fans. The NASCAR PC
title is being developed at EA Tiburon. Utilizing an 18 month development cycle,
the game is scheduled to ship in early 2005.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the
world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982,
EA posted revenues of $2.96 billion for fiscal 2004. The company develops, publishes,
and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal
computers and the Internet. In 2003, EA had 27 titles that sold more than one
million copies. Electronic Arts markets its products under three brand names:
EA SPORTSâ„¢, EA GAMESâ„¢ and EA SPORTS BIGâ„¢. EA’s homepage and
online game site is http://www.ea.com. More
information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found
on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, NASCAR, is the sanctioning
body for one of America’s premier sports. NASCAR has 75 million fans spread
throughout the U.S., ranks second among sports in television ratings, is among
the leaders in professional sports in licensed product sales, and has more Fortune
500 company involvement than any other sport. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla, with
offices in Charlotte, New York and Los Angeles, NASCAR sanctions 1,800 races
at 120 tracks in 38 states.

The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup is how NASCAR determines its champion.
It consists of the final 10 races of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series’ 36-race season.
The top 10 drivers and those with in 400 points of the leader, after 26 races,
will compete for the championship. The driver leading the standings after 26
races will be reset to 5,050 points and those behind him will trail in five-point
increments with 10th being reset at 5,005. All drivers will continue to have
the opportunity to win races, improve in the standings, and increase earnings.

Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, EA GAMES and EA SPORTS BIG are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. NASCAR
and Chase for the Cup are all trademarks of the National Association for Stock
Car Auto Racing, Inc. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc. Microsoft and Xbox are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. ™, ®,
and Nintendo GameCube are trademarks of Nintendo. All other car, team, track
names, trademarks, and other intellectual property are used under license and
are the property of their respective owners.

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