Thu, 22 May 2003, 12:41 PM Craftsman Renews Title Sponsorship at Gateway International Raceway

Courtesy of NHRA Communications

MADISON, Ill. -- Sears, Roebuck and Co., through its Craftsman brand, has reached an agreement with the NHRA to extend its title sponsorship of an NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event at Gateway International Raceway, it was announced today by NHRA and Craftsman officials during a press conference at the state-of-the-art quarter-mile drag racing facility.

The seventh annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals will be held June 27-29 at the track that sits just east of metropolitan St. Louis. The $1.8 million race, which will be televised by the ESPN network, is the 12th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series for 2003.

"At Craftsman we elect to sponsor races in markets where we have a significant number of Sears stores," said Touré Claiborne, Sears motorsports marketing manager. "Our greater St. Louis network of Sears stores has been one of the strongest for Craftsman sales. With so many great Craftsman customers and race fans in the area, sponsoring the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals is a great way to give back to the fans who love Craftsman tools."

The commitment maintains Craftsman's deep involvement with the NHRA. In addition to the national event sponsorship, Craftsman, the Official Tools of the NHRA, also provides 21 scholarships for qualified students through a program with NHRA's Youth and Education Services dept. Craftsman also is active with several NHRA teams, providing primary sponsorship for Dale Creasy's Pontiac Firebird in Funny Car competition, as well as associate sponsorship support to a variety of teams, including Warren Johnson, Kurt Johnson and Jim Yates in Pro Stock, Geno Scali in Pro Stock Bike and Rhonda Hartman-Smith and John Smith in Top Fuel.

Craftsman has sponsored the national event at Gateway since the inaugural event in 1997. Craftsman has also sponsored NHRA national events at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago and at Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas' capital city. "It's very gratifying to see Sears Craftsman continue its involvement with the NHRA by extending its title sponsorship of one of our thrilling events," said Bob Wagner, NHRA vice president of sales and business development. "Sears Craftsman has clearly positioned itself as a leader in supporting NHRA Championship Drag Racing through their innovative marketing strategies, official sponsorship, national event titles and multiple team sponsorships. With the great support provided by Sears Craftsman for this premier event, which is the closest major auto racing event contested near metropolitan St. Louis, and an important race for drivers chasing POWERade points as the season reaches its mid-point, we're sure it will be a memorable event."

Craftsman is the Official Tools of the NHRA and sponsors the annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway. According to a 2002 EquiTrend survey, Craftsman is rated the No. 1 brand in the nation among men for overall quality. Sears sells more than 1,600 Craftsman hand tools that are guaranteed forever. If any Craftsman hand tool ever fails to provide complete satisfaction, return for free repair or replacement. Sears offers Craftsman tools, merchandise and related services nationwide through its Full-line stores, Sears Hardware stores, Sears Dealer stores and Orchard Supply Hardware stores, as well as through specialty catalogs and online at www.sears.com.

Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., the NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. It presents 23 national events through its NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The NHRA has 80,000 members nationwide and 140 member tracks. The NHRA-sanctioned sportsman and bracket racing series' provide competition opportunities for drivers of all levels. The NHRA develops the stars of tomorrow by offering the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing Series, NHRA Summit Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Street Legal Program. The NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League for youths ages 8 to 17.