Wednesday, August 8, 2001

ADVISORY/J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Saturn Again Ranks at the Top in Sales Satisfaction

-- Saturn, the only automotive brand to provide consumers with non-negotiable vehicle pricing since the brand was introduced in the early 1990s, came out on top of the study's satisfaction index for the second consecutive year. You can reach the story directly by going to http://www.newstream.com/cgi-bin/display_story. ... Continue reading

RIP MICHELS GET HIS FIRST SUPER LATE MODEL WIN, TOMMY FRY JR. GETS MAX MILLER POINTS, HESSING INTO TIE FOR LATE MODEL LEAD IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY RACE REPORT

- AUGUST 4, 2001 By Tim Kennedy Four racing divisions and five main events for 220 laps of feature action Saturday attracted 99 racing cars and 5,101 spectators to Irwindale Speedway. Tommy Fry and Rip Michels won a pair of NASCAR Food 4 Less Super Late Model 50-lap main events in the premier division. Dave Hessing led ... Continue reading

POINTS BATTLE SHIFTS INTO HIGH GEAR GOING INTO THE MILLER LITE 20 0 AT MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Donnie Clark, (614) 793-4620, dclark@midohio.com Seth Everitt, (614) 793-4607, severitt@midohio.com POINTS BATTLE SHIFTS INTO HIGH GEAR GOING INTO THE MILLER LITE 200 AT MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE DUBLIN, Ohio (August 7, 2001) - When the competitive CART FedEx Championship Series returns ... Continue reading

NASCAR WCUP: Atwood gears up for rookie run at Watkins Glen

August 8, 2001 WATKINS GLEN, NY- Despite making his first Winston Cup Series visit to the winding asphalt of Watkins Glen, Casey Atwood will be returning to familiar grounds this weekend at the Global Crossing @ the Glen. Atwood has raced at the track twice in his Busch Series career and says he likes it a little bette ... Continue reading

NASCAR WCUP: Elliott hopes his crossing at the Glen includes a checkered flag

August 8, 2001 WATKINS GLEN, NY- In the second half of the 2001 season, Bill Elliott's performance is on par with the color of his Dodge Intrepid R/T - red hot. Elliott has collected one top five and three top 10s in his last four races. He has led in the last two races, and has brought home a fourth place finish at Po ... Continue reading

NASCAR WCUP: Matt Kenseth Interview: All the right turns at the Glen

August 8, 2001 You have already tested this year on the road course at Sears Point and finished well there. Will that help you out on the track at Watkins Glen? "Watkins Glen is a lot different from Sears Point. You can compare Watkins Glen to a speedway. Sears Point you have a lot of slow, sharp corners where the pave ... Continue reading

NASCAR WCUP: Gordon wants celebration to last another week

August 8, 2001 WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - Jeff Gordon, coming off an "almost perfect week," will look to capture his fourth win in five years at Watkins Glen International on Sunday in the Global Crossing @ The Glen. Gordon began last week taping several shows for the upcoming Sports Superstars edition of "Who Wants to be a ... Continue reading

NASCAR WCUP: Jarrett seeks first career road course victory at the Glen

August 8, 2001 WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - Skill and serendipity. Two invaluable things a driver must have on his side to succeed on a road course. Dale Jarrett certainly has the first, but he'll have to wait until this weekend to see if serendipity comes along for the ride in his #88 UPS Ford Taurus. Items of note heading in ... Continue reading

NASCAR WCUP: Tony Stewart: 'Road Scholar' at The Glen

August 8, 2001 ATLANTA - Tony Stewart's proficiency on oval race tracks is well known, as 10 of his 11 career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victories have come on ovals. It should also be noted that his 1997 Indy Racing League championship and his 1995 titles in the USAC National Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown divisions w ... Continue reading

NASCAR WCUP: Dale Earnhardt Jr: Watkins Glen allows aggresive style

August 8, 2001 “I like Watkins Glen. Compared to Sears Point, which is a very technical road course, the Glen is a track that allows you to push hard and really get aggressive in some of the corners. I’m pretty comfortable there. “We won the Busch race there in 1999, mainly because we were simply a gr ... Continue reading

NASCAR WCUP: Robby Gordon and Mike Skinner Interview

August 8, 2001 This week's NASCAR Winston Cup Teleconference featured Robby Gordon and Mike Skinner, driver(s) of the No. 31 Lowe's Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Skinner is recovering from a broken ankle suffered in the July 15th race at Chicago, and Robby Gordon has been the substitute driver while Skinner is on the mend. Th ... Continue reading

Ballard Completes 60-kw Prototype Stationary Fuel Cell Power Generator

Ballard Power Systems announced today that its subsidiary Ballard Generation Systems (BGS) has completed the construction and commenced in-house testing of its 60-kilowatt hydrogen gas fuelled engineering prototype stationary fuel cell power generator. The 60-kilowatt unit incorporated the Mark 900 automotive architect ... Continue reading

Enforcement in 8 Southeast States Delivers Increase in Seat Belt Use

The Click It or Ticket Campaign conducted across eight southeastern states in May delivered a record increase in seat belt use and will result in hundreds of lives saved. Belt use jumped nine percentage points, meaning more than 4.4 million additional people are buckling up. Over the course of a year this increase coul ... Continue reading

Online Experiences Less than Satisfying for Consumers, Says Accenture

Despite its efforts to attract consumers through Web sites, the automotive industry has provided online experiences that have been far less than satisfying, according to new Accenture research findings released today. In fact, the research showed that only one-fifth (20 percent) of consumers are "very satisfied" with a ... Continue reading

Margate Reports Second-Quarter Results

Margate Industries, Inc. today reported better-than-expected results for its 2001-second quarter, but warned that continuing softness in the automotive industry would negatively impact the Company's third-quarter profitability. The Yale, Mich.-based holding company also said it is progressing toward the execution of a ... Continue reading

Hastings Manufacturing Reports Improved Second-Quarter Results

Fueled by strong operational improvements, Hastings Manufacturing Co. reported sharply higher net income on comparable sales for the second quarter ended June 30, 2001. The Hastings, Mich.-based manufacturer and distributor of piston rings and other engine products reported net income increased 96.7 percent to $450,111 ... Continue reading

Ford, Navistar Join Forces to Create Blue Diamond Truck Company

Ford Motor Company and Navistar International Corporation today finalized plans to form a joint venture to build medium commercial trucks. The joint venture will also furnish truck and diesel engine service parts to Ford and International and explore other advanced diesel engine opportunities. The joint venture, named ... Continue reading

Allied Holdings Engages Bear Stearns to Explore Sale Of Its Axis Group

Allied Holdings, Inc. announced today that it has engaged Bear, Stearns & Co. to explore the potential divestiture of its Axis Group subsidiary. "An important element of our plan to revitalize Allied is to de-leverage the Company; and we would expect to use a substantial portion of any sales proceeds to reduce our inde ... Continue reading

Automakers Can Save Millions By Helping Sub-Tier Suppliers Become Lean

While automakers and large tier-one suppliers are making solid progress in implementing lean manufacturing principles within their own companies, they're missing millions -- perhaps billions -- of dollars in waste that's caused by their suppliers, according to Joseph C. Day, chairman and CEO of Freudenberg-NOK. Day, wh ... Continue reading

Johnson Controls to Adopt FAS 142 in Fiscal 2002

Johnson Controls, Inc. today said that it anticipates adopting the FASB's Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142 "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets" in October 2001, the beginning of its 2002 fiscal year. Under the new FASB statement, goodwill will no longer be amortized, however, it must be tested for ... Continue reading

Harley-Davidson Prepares to Celebrate Its 100th Anniversary

When Harley-Davidson throws a party, Milwaukee rumbles. When the Company celebrates 100 years of the world's greatest motorcycles -- the earth will shake. To make sure no one is left out, Harley-Davidson announced today that its 100th Anniversary will be a yearlong celebration that spans the globe, visiting several con ... Continue reading

AmeriCredit Reports Record Q4 and Fiscal Year End Operating Results

AMERICREDIT CORP. today announced record net income of $71,707,000, or $0.81 per share, for its fourth fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2001, versus earnings of $37,158,000, or $0.46 per share for the same period a year earlier. On a comparative basis, earnings increased 93% and earnings per share rose 76%. For the fiscal ... Continue reading

Advance Auto Parts To Acquire Discount Auto Parts, Inc.

Advance Auto Parts and Discount Auto Parts, Inc. announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement for Advance to acquire Discount in a merger transaction. As a result of the merger, Discount shareholders will own approximately 13% (approximately 4.3 million shares) of the total shares outstanding of the com ... Continue reading

Exide Technologies to Supply IVECO-International Trucks in Australia

Exide Technologies , the global leader in stored electrical-energy solutions, has signed a two-year agreement with IVECO-International Trucks Australia Ltd. to supply original-equipment and aftermarket batteries for heavy-duty applications in Australia. IVECO-International, headquartered in Melbourne, is the largest as ... Continue reading