Hamlin Earns WIX Filters Lap Leader Award En Route to First NEXTEL Cup Series Victory

NEWS RELEASE

                                  

Contact:          Bruce Johnston
Ashleigh Lockhart

                        WIX Filters
Wray Ward Laseter

(704) 869-3383
(704) 926-1314

Bruce.Johnston@affiniagroup.com
alockhart@wwlcreative.com

 

Hamlin Earns WIX Filters Lap Leader Award En Route to First NEXTEL Cup
Series Victory

 

GASTONIA, N.C. (June 14, 2006) - Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin
claimed the NEXTEL Cup Series WIX Filters Lap Leader Award during the
June 9-11, 2006 NASCAR weekend en route to his first series victory,
while Ashton Lewis and Mike Skinner earned Lap Leader Awards in the
Busch and Craftsman Truck Series, respectively.

            Hamlin, a NEXTEL Cup Raybestos(r) Rookie of the Year
contender, led six times for a total of 83 laps to earn the first WIX
Filters Lap Leader Award of his NEXTEL Cup Series career. He also earned
the Raybestos(r) Rookie of the Race Award for his performance at Pocono
Raceway. Hamlin became the first Raybestos(r) Rookie to win a race at
the demanding track.

             In Busch Series competition, Ashton Lewis claimed his
second WIX Filters Lap Leader Award of the year at Nashville
Superspeedway. The race for the Busch Series Lap Leader title remains
close, with Lewis and NEXTEL Cup Series Raybestos(r) Rookie of the Year
contender J. J. Yeley tied for second place in the point standings, one
point behind leader Jason Leffler.

Mike Skinner, the 2005 Lap Leader champion in the Craftsman Truck
Series, earned his third WIX Filters Lap Leader award of the season at
Texas Motor Speedway. Skinner's performance tied him with 2005 Lap
Leader runner-up Todd Bodine for first place in the 2006 Lap Leader
standings.

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. 

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.

# # #