WIX Filters Presents Lap Leader Awards to Top NASCAR Drivers
WIX Filters Presents Lap Leader Awards to Top Drivers in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series Stewart, Truex Jr., Skinner Share More Than $200,000 in Prize Money From WIX WIX Filters recently recognized newly crowned NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Tony Stewart with the 2005 WIX Filters Lap Leader Award, marking WIX's second year of award sponsorship and kicking off a week of presentations that include more than $200,000 in cash prizes from WIX to leading drivers in NASCAR's three elite series. "We are excited to honor these exceptional competitors with the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award," said WIX Filters Brand Manager Bruce Johnston, who presented the award during the NMPA Myers Brothers Breakfast Dec. 2 as part of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship celebration in New York City. "We are particularly proud that two of the three Lap Leader champions this year also won series titles, proving that WIX filters are truly the champions' choice for optimum performance." In 2005, Stewart claimed his second NEXTEL Cup title driving with WIX Filters under the hood of his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet, and he earned 11 weekly WIX Filters Lap Leader Awards en route to his first WIX Filters Lap Leader Award title. On Dec. 9 in Orlando, Fla., WIX will honor 2004 and 2005 Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. with the 2005 WIX Filters Lap Leader Award for the Busch Series, his second time claiming the annual award. Driver Mike Skinner will be presented with the 2005 WIX Filters Lap Leader Award for the Craftsman Truck Series during the NCTS banquet Dec. 11. "We gain valuable technical information through our partnerships with NASCAR teams throughout the race season, and we are proud to recognize the drivers whose performances help us to continually enhance our product for our customers, both on and off the track," Johnston said. WIX Filters, the #1 filter in NASCAR and an exclusive NASCAR Performance Product, has an extensive motorsports program that includes an associate sponsorship of Joe Gibbs Racing and product sponsorships with leading NASCAR teams including Robert Yates Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Evernham Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. Also in 2005, WIX introduced the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award Contest, allowing thousands of race fans to earn valuable prizes by predicting which drivers in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series would lead the most laps in each race. Contest participants who visited www.wixlapleader.com <http://www.wixlapleader.com/> could be eligible to win a weekly WIX Filters Racing prize pack, as well as an all-expense-paid racing extravaganza weekend at Las Vegas Speedway for the 2006 NEXTEL Cup event. 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/> .