Westward Tools to Sponsor Two New Awards for Trans-Am Series Competitors in 2002

CLEARWATER, Fla. (April 30, 2002) - Westward Tools, the Official Tools of the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup, will sponsor a pair of awards designed to recognize teams that face the most adversity during the 2002 Trans-Am season.

 

The "Tough Tools/Tough Team Award" will recognize the four teams that show the most improvement from start to finish at each 2002 Trans-Am Series event. A total credit of $1,500 worth of Westward products will be divided among the four teams who advance the most combined places during each race. 

 

Each position gained, or point, will be worth a dollar amount to be determined by adding the total number of positions gained by the four teams who improve the most, then dividing that number by $1,500. At the conclusion of the season, Westward will award credits of $5,000 and $2,500, respectively, to the two teams who have scored the most points over the course of the campaign.

 

Westward Tools will also sponsor the "Tough Tools/Tough Times Award," which will award a $500 credit to the team that is deemed to have faced the most hard luck during a given Trans-Am event. Nominations for the "Tough Tools/Tough Times Award" will be posted on the Westward Tools website ( www.westwardtools.com ) through a link on the Trans-Am Series website, at www.trans-amseries.com .

 

All fans that vote for the team that wins the "Tough Tools/Tough Times Award" will be entered into a drawing for a 14.4-volt cordless drill, as well as other Westward Trans-Am tools. The program also includes a season-ending "Tough Tools/Tough Times Award" which will reward a $2,500 credit to the Trans-Am team that is deemed to have had the most bad luck during the season, by vote of the fans.

 

"These two awards reflect our commitment to recognize the hard-working Trans-Am team members who need tough Westward Tools to see them through tough challenges at the race track," said Bill Davis, brand manager for Westward Tools, a division of Grainger International, Inc. "A significant amount of labor goes into the effort to make any Trans-Am team successful. We are pleased to announce these two programs to recognize the people who do that work."

 













Said Trans-Am President Dennis Huth, "One of the strengths of the Trans-Am Series over the years has been the tireless commitment of team members who work extremely long hours for very little recognition. We are grateful to our partners at Westward Tools for launching these programs to help pay tribute to the team members who are the backbone of the Trans-Am Series." 

 

Westward Tools is a private-label brand of W.W. Grainger, Inc., a leading industrial distributor of products to keep facilities and equipment running. The Westward line of tools - the Good, Tough Tools that can be used every day - continues to offer more value and innovation, with more problem-solving products, in more tool categories than ever before. For more information on Westward products, visit the Westward Tools website, at www.westwardtools.com.

 

The Trans-Am Series, sanctioned by Englewood, Colorado-based Sports Car Club of America Pro Racing, is the longest-running road racing series in North America, entering its 37th year of competition in 2002. Defending and three-time series champion Paul Gentilozzi will be looking to claim his fourth title against a strong field of rivals including former champion Brian Simo, Johnny Miller, Lou Gigliotti, Michael Lewis, 2001 AmeriSuites Rookie of the Year Justin Bell and 2002 Rookie of the Year candidate Butch Leitzinger. Three of the Trans-Am's mid-season events will be televised nationally by CBS Sports, while the others will be carried by SPEED Channel on either a live or tape-delayed basis. All Trans-Am drivers compete for the prestigious BFGoodrich Tires Cup, emblematic of the series driving championship.