Wed, 28 May 2008, 06:36 PM Hurst, Jaws of Life® Announces Sponsorship of NHRA

Courtesy of NHRA Communications New Three-year Deal makes Hurst Official Rescue Tool

SHELBY, N.C. -- Hurst Jaws of Life announced today the renewal of its sponsorship with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). With the new three year agreement, Hurst will be titled as the "Official Rescue Tool of the NHRA." As part of the agreement, the NHRA will use Hurst Jaws of Life at all of its events which run nationwide.

Hurst's roots were established in auto racing when George Hurst, the inventor of the modern hydraulic rescue tool, saw a need with high speed car crashes on the racetrack. Hurst developed the Hydraulic rescue tool by working with prototypes in the 1960s, finally bringing the tools to fire and rescue departments in 1972. Hydraulic rescue tools such as the Jaws of Life are used to extricate personnel from vehicles in a crash that would cause them to be trapped inside.

"We're delighted to have the NHRA using Hurst Jaws of Life. The primary concern in auto racing is for the safety and quick extrication of the drivers," says Aaron Guenther, Director of Marketing for Hurst. The NHRA will have state of the art equipment at all of its events through its "Safety Safari," a team of dedicated NHRA emergency services professionals who attend all NHRA national events nationwide.

Hurst plans to show the capabilities of the rescue tools at select NHRA events during its POWERade Series schedule in 2008. Attendees at the NHRA races will see live demonstrations of the hydraulic tools in action. "We're looking forward to an outstanding relationship with NHRA," said Guenther. "We plan to capitalize on the racing community's research and development. The best of the best exist in NHRA racing when it comes to vehicle design, construction and safety features; this relationship will help us provide new technology for the future."