Münter joins NASCAR.com as correspondent

One of the top female late model stock car drivers on the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series, Leilani Münter, is joining NASCAR.com as a special correspondent for the 2004 racing season.

In her role, Münter will pull double duty as an on-site reporter, providing special features and a behind-the-scenes look at NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series racing from the track, while continuing to race a late model stock car in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series for LesCare Kitchens and Evernham Performance Parts.

	Leilani Munter

"I'm excited to have this opportunity to work with NASCAR.com", said Münter, who has been in Daytona reporting on the first session of NASCAR Nextel Cup testing. "It's been a wonderful experience here in Daytona. I'm working with people that are at the top of their game. It's an honor to be here and a great way to compliment my late model race program. The racecars are different, but the concepts are the same."

Münter will also be reporting from Daytona during the second test session of the NASCAR Nextel Cup, January 13-15 and again during Daytona Speedweeks, February 7-15, including the Daytona 500. She will continue to contribute ongoing features and interviews from the pits and the track, throughout the 2004 racing season. Münter's reports will be featured on NASCAR.com through streaming video clips and full text articles.

"We are excited about bringing Leilani aboard as part of the NASCAR.com team," said Drew Reifenberger, executive vice president of Turner Sports program planning, acquisitions and interactive. "Leilani's extensive knowledge on everything from race car set up to geometry, coupled with her current stock car racing experience, should help provide her reports with a fresh and unique perspective, which will enhance the current news we provide NASCAR fans on our site."

A native of Rochester, Minn., Münter began racing while earning a degree in Biology from the University of California San Diego. Upon graduation, Leilani began working in the movies doing stunts, doubling and stand in work to pay for laps at the racetrack. She worked for actress Catherine Zeta-Jones in "Traffic" and "America's Sweethearts" and did stunts for Kelly Hu in "The Scorpion King."

In 2001, Leilani ran her first stock car race in the Allison Legacy Series, debuting with a seventh place finish. In 2002 Leilani relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina -- the stock car racing capital of the world. Since then Münter has surrounded herself with stock car racing -- driving race cars whenever possible, working for race teams at the race shop and the track.

By 2003, Leilani had landed a major opportunity when she signed a multi-year driver development contract with Team Bristol Motorsports, home of the No. 54 NASCAR Busch Series race team. She debuted in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series late model division for Team Bristol Motorsports at South Boston Speedway with a ninth place finish. In 2004, Münter will continue racing a late model stock car in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series for new partner and sponsor, LesCare Kitchens, with the possibility to race NASCAR Busch Series North, ASA or ARCA events.

In addition to her success on the track, Leilani has also garnered widespread media coverage for her efforts as a relative newcomer to the sport. She has been named "America's Sexiest Race Car Driver" by Men's Journal magazine, "The Hottest Woman in NASCAR" by FHM and honored as a "Woman We Love" by Esquire. She has also been featured in ESPN and on the cover of Charlotte Magazine. For more on Munter, visit www.leilanimunter.com.

Turner Sports Interactive acquired all of NASCAR's interactive rights in October 2000 and became the exclusive producer of NASCAR.com in January 2001. NASCAR.com is one of the fastest growing sports sites on the Web, consistently ranking among the top three sport sites on the Internet.

In 2001, NASCAR.com received over one billion page views, which is a 45 percent increase from the previous year when ESPN ran the property. In 2003, NASCAR.com was awarded an Emmy by the National Television Academy for its TrackPass with PitCommand application. Along with NASCAR.com, Turner Sports Interactive is the exclusive producer of PGA.com. They acquired the PGA's interactive rights in June 2002 and immediately assumed exclusive production of PGA.com.