Skinner Clinches WIX Filters Lap Leader Title for Craftsman Truck Series

 

Biffle, Hamlin, Benson Claim Weekly WIX Filters Lap Leader Awards

 

With one event remaining in the season, Mike Skinner has clinched the
overall WIX Filters Lap Leader title for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series, while drivers Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin and Johnny Benson won
the WIX Filters Lap Leader Awards during the Nov. 11-13, 2005 NASCAR
racing weekend. 

Skinner claimed the 2005 Craftsman Truck Series WIX Filters Lap Leader
title on the strength of six WIX Filters Lap Leader Awards, two wins and
seven pole positions in 24 starts. Skinner - who led Todd Bodine by two
points in the Lap Leader standings entering last weekend's race at
Phoenix International Raceway - earned overall Lap Leader honors when
Bodine failed to lead the most laps at Phoenix. With one race remaining,
no driver can surpass Skinner's 2005 Lap Leader statistics. 

Biffle's WIX Filters Lap Leader Award win in racing at Phoenix
International Raceway was his fifth award of the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Series season. 

For his performance at Phoenix International Raceway, Hamlin took home
the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award for the fourth time in the Busch Series
this year.

In Craftsman Truck Series competition at Phoenix International Raceway,
Benson earned the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award for the first time this
season. 

The WIX Filters Lap Leader Award is presented to the driver who leads
the most laps during each race in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup, Busch and
Craftsman Truck racing series. The award includes a cash prize presented
to the winning driver during a ceremony before the next race and an
end-of-year payout and trophy for the driver who earns the most WIX
Filters Lap Leader awards over the course of the entire season. Cash
awards for the end-of-year honor are: $75,000 for the NEXTEL Cup Series;
$20,000 for the Busch Series; and, $10,000 for the Craftsman Truck
Series.

In order to be eligible for the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award for a
single event, drivers and teams in each series must run the WIX Filters
decal on the front fender and use WIX oil or air filters in their
vehicles. Additionally, for any year-end payout, teams must run the
decal on the front fender for every race they participate in, with an
allowance for one race, and they must always use WIX oil or air filters.

New for 2005, WIX has introduced the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award
contest, enabling fans to be a part of the action. The online contest
encourages fans to pit their knowledge against one another and against
celebrity prognosticator John Roberts, host of NASCAR This Morning and
NASCAR Victory Lane, in a weekly competition to predict which drivers
will win the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award in each race. Fans who
participate in the online contest will compete for prizes including an
all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas Speedway for the 2006 NEXTEL Cup
race. 

Fans can sign up for the contest, make picks and try to beat Roberts by
visiting www.wixlapleader.com. Detailed contest rules and prize
information are provided on the Web site.

WIX's relationships with professional motorsports organizations include
product sponsorships for more than 40 teams in the three primary stock
car racing circuits sanctioned by NASCAR. WIX is the official sponsor of
the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award, which offers cash prizes for the
leader of the most laps during each event within the top three NASCAR
racing divisions and a year-end prize for the driver within each series
who wins the most WIX Lap Leader Awards during the season.

Since 1939, WIX has been an innovator in filtration products. WIX
designs, manufactures and distributes products for automotive, diesel,
agricultural, industrial and specialty filter markets. Its product line
includes oil, air, cabin interior, fuel, coolant, transmission and
hydraulic filters for automobiles, trucks and off-road equipment. WIX, a
member of the Affinia family of brands, is the #1 filter in NASCAR and
an exclusive NASCAR Performance Product. Its NASCAR relationship also
includes the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award, which recognizes the drivers
leading the most laps in each race. WIX Filters' Internet address is 
www.wixfilters.com <http://www.wixfilters.com/> .