Kenseth Back in Contention for WIX Filters Lap Leader Award Title

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

 

Kenseth Back in Contention for WIX Filters Lap Leader Award Title

 

Raybestos(r) Rookie of the Year Contender Ambrose Earns First Career Lap
Leader Award

 

GASTONIA, N.C. (July 11, 2006) - Drivers Matt Kenseth and Marcos Ambrose
won the WIX Filters Lap Leader Awards during the July 8-9, 2006 NASCAR
weekend, with Kenseth ending a 14-race Lap Leader drought and Ambrose
becoming the first Raybestos(r) Rookie of the Year contender to earn Lap
Leader honors in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season. 

Kenseth led 112 laps at Chicagoland Speedway to earn his second NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Lap Leader Award of the year. Heading into this weekend's
NEXTEL Cup event at New Hampshire International Speedway, Kenseth is
fourth in the NEXTEL Cup Series WIX Filters Lap Leader point standings,
three points behind leader and Roush Racing teammate Greg Biffle. 

In Craftsman Truck Series competition at Kentucky Speedway, Australian
newcomer Ambrose earned his first career WIX Filters Lap Leader award.
Ambrose is tied for third place in the Lap Leader standings, three
points behind series veteran and 2005 WIX Filters Lap Leader Award
champion Mike Skinner.

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.

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