Award-winning TV and film actress Marcia Cross will wave the green race flag at the start of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at the California Speedway on Sunday, September 3, 2006. Marcia is excited to team up with rookie racecar driver J.J. Yeley of the No. 18 car to raise awareness about migraine headaches.

Migraines have been part of Marcia's life for years. She experienced her first migraine when she was in high school and for many years she suffered, unable to effectively manage her migraines.

Even though she had classic migraine symptoms and was quickly diagnosed, at that time, the available medications didn't help her pain. Then about ten years ago, Marcia experienced a migraine while on the set that was so debilitating that she had to be driven home.

As a result of that incident, Marcia has become a real health detective about migraines. She has learned to identify her triggers and works hard to avoid them. She still gets migraines from time to time, but now she keeps the migraine-specific medicine her doctor prescribed with her at all times and takes it at the first sign of pain, so that she can get back to her life more quickly.

More than 28 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches and almost half of all people who suffer from migraines are undiagnosed. If left untreated, migraines can be highly disruptive, even disabling, making it impossible to participate in daily activities.

Marcia hopes to educate race fans about migraines and encourages those who suffer from frequent, bad headaches to talk to their doctor about their symptoms. A tool she recommends to help you talk to your doctor is the Headache Quiz and can be found at www.headachquiz.com. Getting the right diagnosis can mean the difference between debilitating pain and getting relief.