One Million Dollar Winner: Contractor Jon Smith of Delaware, OH knew he was fast with a cordless drill. Now he has a million dollars to prove it. Smith beat out 15 other contestants Sunday in DEWALT’s national Million Dollar Challenge cordless screwdriving contest sponsored by Chevy Trucks. To win the million, the Ohio man had to sink five drywall screws flush into a piece of pine wood in less than seven seconds with a 14.4-volt cordless drill/driver. He did it in 6.77 seconds. Smith and the other finalists were seeded tournament-style during the contest, which ended Sunday at the Phoenix International Raceway. Contestants were eliminated until the two fastest men clashed head-to-head Sunday at the Start/Finish line before Sunday’s Winston Cup Race in front of 100,000 spectators. Smith beat out Mike Fischer from Illinois by one second for his chance to become a millionaire. Then, in his last “screw-off” calmly picked up his drill and drove out a time of 6.77 seconds to win the grand prize. DEWALT and Chevy Trucks launched the skill contest earlier this year. From April through August more than 50,000 people entered local qualifying contests in 100 cities nationwide, including Phoenix. The fastest 460 local qualifiers were then narrowed to 16 finalists, who each won a new segment busting 2003 Chevy Express contractor’s van with industry exclusives such as all wheel drive, left hand door and unique access panels filled with $2,000 worth of DEWALT tools and accessories.(GM PR)(11-11-2002)
