CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- A Charlottesville, Va. resident, Zach Snider, won the IRWIN Ultimate Tradesman Challenge Eastern Regional Championship at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte on Sunday, May 27th, and will advance to the national championship on November 11, 2007, in Phoenix. IRWIN Industrial Tools, a Newell Rubbermaid(R) company, is conducting a nationwide search for America's top tradesmen. Since its launch in April 2007, the Ultimate Tradesman Challenge has visited 14 states and several thousand tradesmen have competed against the clock in local challenge events to qualify for a spot in the Eastern Regional Championship.
Seventy-five million adult NASCAR fans live in the United States and 27 percent of them earn a living by using tools on the job. IRWIN Industrial Tools is providing these consumers, and others, with the chance to become a millionaire. The IRWIN Ultimate Tradesman champion will receive a new 2007 supercharged Ford F-150 pick-up truck customized by Roush Performance, a dream barbeque with Jamie McMurray and the #26 IRWIN race team at their home, and the chance to win $1.26 million.
Snider won the IRWIN Ultimate Tradesman Challenge Eastern Regional Championship by measuring, marking and drilling a piece of lumber, using IRWIN tools, in only 20.67 seconds. This was the fastest time among the 10 competitors in the Eastern Regional Championship. In addition to advancing to securing a spot in the national championship in November, Snider is taking home $10,000, a coveted IRWIN Racing pit crew jersey, and an IRWIN tool bag filled with professional grade products.
"The IRWIN Ultimate Tradesman Challenge has been a great experience so far and I was thrilled to win $10,000," said Snider, a licensed contractor with Alloy Architecture + Construction. "I was proud to represent Charlottesville in the Eastern Regional Championship and I can't wait to compete with the best tradesmen in the country in November in Phoenix."
In total, IRWIN Industrial Tools plans to stage more than 150 Ultimate Tradesman Challenge events in 30 states from April through November. In addition to the Eastern Regional Championship in Charlotte, a Western Regional Championship will be held in metro Los Angeles in September, and a Central Regional Championship will be held in the Dallas metroplex in early November. All three regional champions will then compete against each other for the title of "Ultimate Tradesman" on November 11th during the Phoenix race weekend.
"Similar to that of a successful race team, innovation and performance are two hallmarks of IRWIN Industrial Tools. In fact, our heritage is based on exceeding the expectations of the tradesman, like Zach, that uses our products. We created the IRWIN Ultimate Tradesman Challenge to share our passion for tools and accessories with professional tradesmen and DIYers, and reach our end-users where they work, play, buy and learn," said Ira Gleser, marketing communications director for IRWIN Industrial Tools.
The IRWIN Ultimate Tradesman Challenge is another example of the company's commitment to its distributor partners and end-users. IRWIN is constantly striving to make the end-user experience more productive and efficient through the development of hand tools and power tool accessories with meaningful innovation and performance. Steadfast in its dedication to NASCAR and its partnership with Roush Fenway Racing, IRWIN Industrial Tools returns to McMurray's #26 Ford for the 2007 season as the primary sponsor for 11 events.
For a full event schedule and more details on the IRWIN Industrial Tools Ultimate Tradesman Challenge, visit http://www.irwinchallenge.com.
About IRWIN Industrial Tools
IRWIN Industrial Tools manufactures and distributes professional grade hand tools and power tool accessories worldwide for trade professionals who demand superior performance and durability on the job. IRWIN Industrial Tools' brand portfolio features user-preferred category leaders such as IRWIN(R), VISE-GRIP(R) locking tools, MARATHON(R) circular saw blades, QUICK-GRIP(R) clamping tools, SPEEDBOR(R) flat bits, STRAIT-LINE(R) marking tools, Unibit(R) step drill bits and HANSON(R) taps and dies. IRWIN Industrial Tools is a Newell Rubbermaid company. For more information about IRWIN's line of hand tools and power tool accessories, call 1-800-GO IRWIN or visit http://www.irwin.com.
About Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR's largest team operating 13 motorsports teams, five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; five in the Busch Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, McMurray, Ragan, Todd Kluever, Michel Jourdain Jr. and Danny O'Quinn Jr.; and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Edwards, Peter Shepherd, Travis Kvapil and Erik Darnell. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto http://www.RoushFenway.com.
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