Catchfence

LapLeader- WIX Filters

AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY, AUGUST 18, 2009.

Ron Hornaday Jr. enjoys a commanding lead (11-1 over J R Fitzpatrick and Ryan Hackett) in the WIX Filters Lap Leader standings entering the O’Reilly 200 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Hornaday Jr. has won FIVE CONSECUTIVE NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races entering the Bristol race and leads the series championship standings by 216 points over second-place Matt Crafton. He has led a total of 748 laps this season and at least one lap in 13 of the 14 races.

The No. 33 team use WIX oil and air filters on their trucks. Crew chief Rick Ren and the team’s engine supplier, Mark Smith, comment on the important role that WIX Filters has played for the team this season.

RICK REN, CREW CHIEF, No. 33 GEORGIA BOOT CHEVROLET: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES OF USING WIX FILTERS ON YOUR TRUCKS?

“I like the fact that WIX has been a longtime competitive race driven filter for us in all of NASCAR. You’ve got the background and they supply a good quality part to all of the upper NASCAR level race teams. We don’t have to worry about are we guinea pigs. Are they using a new fabric? Are they using new rubber? Are they using a new screenwire. Everything is race proven and has won many, many races so now we can just put in a product whether it’s an air filter or an oil filter and we don’t even have to think about it being dependable. We know we have a good quality product and we never even have to question are we going to have a failure with air intake or oiling system filtration.”

YOU MUST BE PLEASED WITH YOUR TEAM AND HOW THEY PREPARED THE TRUCKS AT THE SHOP.

“The mechanics that prepare these vehicles, they take a lot of pride in their work and, knock on wood, we haven’t had any failures. It’s part of my job to teach people, these are the things that I’ve seen that cause problems so these are the things that you need to pay attention to so we don’t have problems. And when you have a really good bunch of guys that really pay attention to details you can end up with the success that we’re having. It’s a tribute to the guys. They always say “the unsung heroes” but they really are. They eat, sleep and drink this stuff.”

MARK SMITH, PRESIDENT, PME (ENGINE SUPPLIER FOR No. 33 GEORGIA BOOT CHEVROLET): WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE OIL AND AIR FILTER AS IT RELATES TO THE ENGINE?

“The oil filter is what we deal with daily and with the folks there at WIX they’ve been able to come up with a canister filter that fit our needs. They’ve been able to make sure that we have clean oil at all times. The air cleaner we’ve tested a number of times and found that to be not only good at keeping debris out but also the air flow enables us to make the kind of power we’ve got to make to run up front like Ron does every week.”

HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED AT THE GENERAL PERFORMANCE OF THE No. 33 TRUCK THIS SEASON?

“They’ve got the whole package working right now, obviously with the driver and Rick Ren and what Kevin and Delana [Harvick, team owners] give ‘em up there to work with. Fortunately they’ve chosen our product to power the thing and it just worked out really well. It’s a pleasure once in a while to have a customer that you can have a relationship that’s easy to work with. It’s been a win-win for us ever since we’ve been able to work with them.”

WHAT IS YOUR APPROVAL PROCESS FOR ENGINE PARTS?

“We’re able to do a fair amount here. Like I say with Bill Stamey and group that you have down at there at WIX that work with us on the engineering side and deliver the part it’s easy to work with and they’re willing to help us in any way as far the number of pleats and what we use in the oil filter itself. It doesn’t restrict the flow but yet the double-edged sword is you’ve got get all the debris out of ‘em but you also have to have enough oil flow through it to lubricate everything.”

Since 1939, WIX® Filters, a member of the Affinia Group family of brands, 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 number one 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. For more information, visit www.wixfilters.com.

Affinia Group Inc. is an innovative global leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and marketing of industrial grade products and services, including extensive offerings of aftermarket parts for automotive and heavy-duty vehicles. With more than $2 billion in annual revenue, Affinia has operations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and India. For more information, visit www.affiniagroup.com.

*Affinia Group Inc.’s affiliated companies include Brake Parts Inc. WIX Filtration Corp LLC, Affinia Products Corp LLC and other high quality manufacturers of the Affinia family of brands.

- Camp & Associates, Inc. Press Release