Kenseth, Gale Claim WIX Filters Lap Leader Awards at Michigan

 

GASTONIA, N.C. (Aug. 22, 2006) - Drivers Matt Kenseth and Cale Gale won
the WIX Filters Lap Leader Awards during the Aug. 19-20, 2006 NASCAR
weekend.

            Kenseth, currently second in the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Series point standings, led 87 of 200 laps at Michigan International
Speedway en route to his third series victory and third WIX Filters Lap
Leader Award of the season. 

            "I'm surprised we led all those laps to win the WIX Filters
Lap Leader Award," Kenseth said. "That's awesome. I'm glad we led them
there at the end, when it counted. We had to work on it all day to get
it that good." 

             In Busch Series competition at Michigan, Gale claimed his
first WIX Filters Lap Leader Award of the season. The race for the Busch
Series Lap Leader title remains close, with Jason Leffler and Paul
Menard tied for first place in the point 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.