May 23, 2008

C & R Racing True Grit Award/Neo Synthetic Oil Winner Chosen

Indianapolis, IN – Friday, May 23, 2008 Chris Paulsen, President and Owner of C & R Racing, Inc. announced the 2008 True Grit Winner. This year’s recipients are the “Newman/Haas/Lanigan Mechanics”. Accepting this year’s award for the group will be Tim Coffeen, Chief Mechanic for Justin Wilson; Tim Homburg, Tire Specialist; and John Tzouanakis, Team Manager and in our hearts, Davey Evans, who passed away earlier this month.

The award, presented each year at the Indianapolis 500 and Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, acknowledges dedicated crew chiefs and mechanics in the motorsports industry. Established in 1998 by Chris Paulsen, the $10,000 cash award exemplifies outstanding achievement in racing and honors a follow colleague.

“This group of guys have remained together as a team for over 20 years. It would be hard to choose any one from this group as they have developed a cohesiveness hard to find in other race teams. Through tough times they have continued to excel in their field, making Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing a tough team to beat! They are definitely what the True Grit Award is all about,” states Chris Paulsen.

"We take as much care in hiring our team members as we do our drivers and Paul, Mike and myself are very proud of them," said Carl Haas, co-owner of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.  "It's great for them to be recognized for their efforts and especially for exceeding their normal high level of performance to prepare for our first season in the IndyCar Series as well as the Indy 500 -- the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.  They have encountered many challenges this season but have met them like the true champions they are.  We would like to thank C&R Racing for this honor."

"Since I joined this team prior to our first season in 1983, I have had the honor of working with some of the best people in the sport," said John Tzouanakis, team manager of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.  "Like drivers, each of our employees want to be the best at their respective jobs and they achieve that on a daily basis.  Preparation has been integral to our success and to be honored by C&R Racing, a company that shares our same philosophy, is a privilege.  The team would like to dedicate this honor to Davey Evans."

Former Indianapolis 500 True Grit Award winners include: Dennis Lacava, Hemelgarn Racing; Rick Rinaman, Marlboro Team Penske; Kyle Moyer, Andretti Green Racing; Mitch Davis, Target Chip Ganassi Racing; Rick Long, Speedway Engines; Clive Howell, Marlboro Team Penske; John O’Gara, A.J. Foyt Enterprises; Craig Baranouski, A.J. Foyt Enterprises; Owen Snyder Jr., Eddie Cheever Racing; John King, A.J. Foyt Enterprises.

C&R manufactures and distributes parts and equipment including complete cooling systems, chassis and drivetrain components and wind tunnel models. In addition, C&R is the largest and preferred supplier of custom all-aluminum radiators to NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series. C&R is also the preferred supplier to IndyCar, late model, open wheel, off-road, and various sports car series. C&R utilizes the latest in CNC machine tools, metal fabrication equipment and CAD/CAM technology.

NEO Synthetic Oil is a co-sponsor of this award for the 2008 Indianapolis 500. NEO Synthetic Oil and Lubricants are race proven and used by teams in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series. NEO is a trusted oil and lubricant to many other motorsports applications including F1, NHRA, Off-Road Racing, Rally Car, Sport Compact and high performance street cars.

copyright 2008 Anne Proffit      

For further information contact:
Debbie Paulsen
P (317)293-4100
C: (317)691-4939
E: debbiep@crracing.com

Chris Paulsen
P: (317)293-4100
C: (317)431-0927
E: chrisp@crracing.com