WIX Filters Presents Lap Leader Awards to Earnhardt Jr., Yeley, Skinner
Battle for WIX Filters Lap Leader Award Title Begins at Daytona GASTONIA, N.C. (Feb. 23, 2006) - Drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., J.J. Yeley and Mike Skinner won the WIX Filters Lap Leader Awards during the Feb. 17-19, 2006 NASCAR opening weekend, taking the early lead in the battle for overall Lap Leader honors. Drivers in NASCAR's three elite series compete to lead the most laps in each race and win the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award in a season-long competition that awards Lap Leader points and cash prizes. Historically, performance-proven WIX Filters are on the cars of series leaders, with 2005 NEXTEL Cup Series champion Tony Stewart also claiming the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award title on the strength of 11 weekly Lap Leader Award wins. With the challenge for the 2006 WIX Filters Lap Leader Award Title now underway, Earnhardt holds the early lead in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Lap Leader point standings as a result of his WIX Filters Lap Leader Award win at the Daytona 500. For his performance at Daytona International Speedway, Busch Series veteran and NEXTEL Cup Series Raybestos(r) Rookie of the Year contender Yeley took home the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award for the Busch Series. Skinner, who earned the 2005 WIX Filters Lap Leader Award title in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, began his quest for back-to-back honors with his NCTS Lap Leader Award win at Daytona. Skinner earned six weekly Lap Leader awards last season en route to the overall WIX Filters Lap Leader Award title. 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. In 2006, WIX will again sponsor 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 guest experts in a weekly competition to predict which drivers will win the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award in each race. Fans can make picks by visiting www.wixlapleader.com each week and compete for prizes including Richard Petty Driving Experience certificates, WIX Filters premium products, and apparel. The grand prize for the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award contest is an all-expense-paid trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the 2007 NEXTEL Cup Series race. Detailed contest rules and prize information are provided on the Web site. 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/> .