#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his first award of the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. 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. Fans can sign up for the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award contest, make picks and try to beat Speed’s John Roberts by visiting www.wixlapleader.com. WIX Filters’ Internet address is www.wixfilters.com.(11-3-2005)
