Goodyear Extreme Rock Crawling Championship Series Takes on Utah

4 April 2000

Goodyear Extreme Rock Crawling Championship Series Takes on Utah GOODYEAR TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY CRAWLING ROCKS - Legendary Off-Road Racer Walker Evans drove his modified Chevrolet Blazer over the rocks at the Goodyear Extreme Rock Crawling Championship Series in Phoenix. Evans' next stop is Cedar City, Utah, on May 26 and 27. It's a great place for getting stuck between a rock and a hard place. (PRNewsFoto)[AG] AKRON, OH USA 04/04/2000


    AKRON, Ohio, April 4 The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
announced today that its third in the five-part Goodyear Extreme Rock Crawling
Championship Series will be held in Cedar City, Utah, on May 26 and 27.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000404/CLTU002 )
    More than 60 highly modified vehicles are expected to compete in the
four-wheeling event sanctioned by the American Rock Crawlers Association
(ARCA).
    After two events, the top drivers vying for the series championship are
competing on Goodyear's new Wrangler MT/R off-road tire.  Jeff "Rookie"
Waggoner, an off-roader from Kearney, Neb., finished second in Phoenix to
extend his series lead to 236 points.
    Shannon Campbell, the Gilbert, Ariz., off-road racer who won the first
event in Farmington, N.M., is second in championship points with 222.
    Despite the top vehicles on Goodyears, the tiremaker has been out-numbered
by vehicles on competitor tires in Phoenix and Farmington, although Ron Wells,
marketing manager for light-truck tires, expects that to change in Cedar City.
    "As we continue to manufacture more sizes of the popular Wrangler MT/R
tire, more racers will choose this superior tire," Wells said.  "The tire
already is proving its worth on these winning vehicles."
    Series point leader Waggoner said he hopes to drive away with the
championship title on the new Goodyear tire.  Waggoner credited his success to
consistency, reliable equipment and an excellent teammate to help him drive
over the obstacles.
    Waggoner, a plumber by trade, said, "I wouldn't want to be without the
Wrangler MT/Rs on the rocks.  They're awesome, the way they're 'hooking up' on
the rocks.  They're definitely giving me a head start in this championship
series."
    Actually, two "rookies" grabbed attention in the Phoenix event, and both
vowed to continue their winning ways in Cedar City.  "Rookie" Waggoner and
"rookie" off-road racing legend Walker Evans created a stir in Arizona.
    Evans, driving a modified 1997 Chevrolet Blazer, made a respectable
showing in his first rock-crawling event.  Waggoner picked up his "Rookie"
nickname when he won his first rock-crawling event.  Despite his recent
heroics, the moniker has stuck.
    Goodyear's Wells congratulated the two "rookies" on their excellent
performances, and added, "Walker put on a show in his first attempt and still
beat out some seasoned veterans.  Waggoner's team, meanwhile, approached every
obstacle focused on winning.  They systematically conquered the unyielding
rocks with style."