Joe Nemechek Wins Ninth Annual Touchstone Energy 300NASCAR Busch Series Race.

Sports Editors/Auto Racing Writers and Columnists

TALLADEGA, Ala.--(BW SportsWire)--April 17, 2000

Touchstone Energy(R) 300 first repeat winner

since Busch Series began at Talladega

Another racing record was set when Joe Nemechek won the ninth annual Touchstone

Once again, Talladega Superspeedway demonstrated that it is "the most competitive track in the world."

Joe Nemechek, the first repeat winner since the Busch Series started at Talladega in 1992, won the race in 1998 and last year finished second to Terry Labonte in a .002 second photo finish. And, despite all the excitement of this year's race, Nemechek took the time to pose for photos with his wife and toddler son, and to dedicate the win to his mother and father.

"On behalf of the more than 560 local Touchstone Energy(R) cooperatives across the country who joined together to sponsor this spectacular event, we would like to congratulate Joe Nemechek on his astonishing performance," says Mickey Miller, chairman of the Touchstone Energy(R) board of directors and president and CEO of Nolin RECC in Elizabethtown, Ky. "This memorable event speaks to our commitment to be involved in the communities we serve and our dedication to provide the best to our customers -- on and off the track."

Miller and G. Thomas Upshaw, president and CEO of Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Columbia, S.C., governed over the race as this year's grand marshals. The official green flag starting the race was waived by this year's Touchstone Energy(R) 300 honorary starter, Randall Bell. Bell is a maintenance supervisor at Edgecombe-Martin County EMC, a Touchstone Energy(R) cooperative in Tarboro, N.C. This honor was bestowed in recognition of Bell's dedication to the Touchstone Energy(R) values of integrity, accountability, innovation and community involvement.

As part of the race weekend, Touchstone Energy(R) cooperatives joined the Talladega Superspeedway in supporting the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind by helping to raise more than $200,000. The Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind is the most comprehensive institution of its kind in the country, serving children and adults who are deaf, blind or multi-disabled. This is just one more way that Touchstone Energy(R) cooperatives are showing their commitment to communities all across America.

More than 115,000 spectators witnessed the heart-pounding Touchstone Energy(R) 300 with millions who watched the live national telecast on ESPN2 and tuned into the live broadcast on the Motor Racing Network (MRN radio).

Touchstone Energy(R) is an alliance of local, consumer-owned utilities across the country committed to providing high standards of service to customers, large and small. Launched nationally by electric cooperatives in 1998, Touchstone Energy(R) cooperatives make up America's largest network of energy providers, with more than 560 cooperatives in 38 states serving more than 16 million customers every day.