Tony Eury Wins "IRWIN Crew Chief of the Week" Honors

 
Sawing Through Adversity, No. 8 Crew Chief Tony Eury Takes Home 
IRWIN Crew Chief of the Week Honors 


VERNON HILLS, Ill., February 20, 2002 - After his driver finished second in
the Bud Shootout and utterly dominated the Busch Series race on Saturday,
Tony Eury, crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet,
thought last Sunday's Daytona 500 would be the team's finest hour.  Instead,
two blown tires, failed brakes and an impact with the wall kept the racecar
either in the pits or behind the wall most of the day.  Yet, despite the
team's adversity, Eury was able to patch things together and secure the team
a 29th place finish, earning him this week's "IRWIN Rough to Finish Award."


"This award is one of the few positive things to come out of Daytona for our
team," said Eury.  "The fact that we fought through all the bad luck and put
the car back on the track says a lot about the team.  Despite everything
that went wrong, it was a fun weekend and it's going to be a great year for
us."  

Each week throughout the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup season, IRWIN, makers of
power tool accessories like MARATHON PLUS saw blades and TURBOMAX drill
bits, is partnering with Performance Radio Network to honor the crew chief
who had the toughest day in the pits, but still managed to help his team to
a strong finish.

"IRWIN is proud to honor the hard-working crew chiefs of NASCAR with this
award," said Chris Connington, Vice President of IRWIN. "Whether it's
bringing home the checkered flag or overcoming great odds just to finish the
race, these guys understand what it takes to be a winner in a highly
competitive situation." 

The "IRWIN Rough to the Finish Award" includes a various assortment of tools
for the crew chief and a $250 check donated to the Connie Parsons Memorial
Fund in the racing team's name. The year-end winner of the crew chief points
standings will win a $5,000 check donated to the Fund.

In addition to the crew chief award, IRWIN is also sponsoring the weekly
nationally syndicated radio show, "Fast Talk with Benny Parsons", throughout
the upcoming year.  

"Working with Benny Parsons and PRN is a natural fit for IRWIN," said
Connington.  "Whether it's the guys in the pit stop or the tool users who
are fans of racing, it is an audience that understands the importance of
using the right tools to get the job done."

IRWIN offers a complete line of drill bits and saw blades. IRWIN saw blades
are specially engineered to stay sharp longer whether rough framing or
finish carpentry is required.  The IRWIN drill bit line includes SPEEDBOR
wood boring bits, TURBOMAX drill bits, UNI-BIT step drill bits, and IRWIN
multi-purpose drill bits that penetrate various materials such as brick,
marble, plastic, metal, cement and wood. A complete list of IRWIN products
and capabilities is online at www.irwintool.com

IRWIN is a brand of American Tool Companies, Inc., a global manufacturer and
marketer of top-quality hand tools, power tool accessories, clamping tools
and marking tools. American Tool Companies employs more than 4,000 people at
facilities in Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin, Maine, New York and in 11
other countries.

Other American Tool product lines include VISE-GRIP® locking tools,
QUICK-GRIP® clamping tools, STRAIT-LINE® marking tools and RECORD® hand
tools. For company information, customers can visit www.americantool.com.