NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES AWARDS

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, through its Winston brand, has posted more than $17 million in bonus awards for NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers this season.  That point fund will be divided among the top 25 drivers in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series' point standings at the conclusion of the 2003 season.  The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion will claim a minimum of $4.25 million in addition to being awarded the coveted NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship by Reynolds Tobacco officials in New York City in December.  The battle for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship takes place over 36 NASCAR-sanctioned races contested between February and November.  The champion and other drivers in the top 25 will share in the $17 million bonus program.  The 19th running of The Winston, NASCAR's all-star event, will return to Lowe's Motor Speedway under the lights on May 17, 2003.  The 2003 winner of The Winston will collect $1 million from a purse in excess of $3.5 million.

BUD POLE AWARD

The Bud Pole Award is sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, Inc., through it's Budweiser brand, the Official Beer of NASCAR.  Throughout the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, this program will award $5,000 to the winner of each Bud Pole Award.  The driver who wins the most Bud Pole Awards during the season will also win an additional $100,000.  Ryan Newman was the 2002 Bud Pole Award champion with six poles.  Each Bud Pole Award winner also automatically receives an invitation to compete in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, in February, a rich 70-lap race held exclusively for the previous year's Bud Pole winners and selected drivers.

WASTE MANAGEMENT PICKING UP PLACES AWARD

The Waste Management Picking Up Places Award will be awarded to the driver that picks up the most positions during each NASCAR Winston Cup Series event (from qualifying position to the race finish.)  For example, a car that started from the 25th position but finished the race in fifth would have picked up 20 "places."  The car that picks up the most places in each event wins and will be awarded $5,000 before the beginning of the next race.  At the end of the season, the car that has won the most "Picking Up Places" awards will also be presented $75,000 at an event that will be held around the year-end NASCAR Awards Ceremony.  Matt Kenseth was the 2002 Waste Management Picking Up Places Award winner.

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE "BLOOMIN' FAVORITE" DRIVER OF THE RACE

The Outback Steakhouse "Bloomin' Favorite" Driver of the Race Award is presented to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver that wins the event.  Outback Steakhouse will award $5,000 every race to the highest finishing eligible driver.  Additionally, the driver that wins the most awards during the 2003 season will be awarded $75,000 at an event that will be held around the year-end NASCAR Awards Ceremony.  Kurt Busch was the 2002 Outback Steakhouse "Bloomin' Favorite" Driver of the Year award winner.

76 GASOLINE AWARD

Any driver who uses 76 Gasoline is eligible for the 76 Gasoline Contingency Award.  Union 76, the Official Gasoline of NASCAR, presents $76,000 to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion at the end of the season.  The 2002 76 Gasoline Award winner was Tony Stewart.

Union 76 Darlington Record Club

GOODYEAR TIRE AWARDS

Again in 2003, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company will present $25,000 in year-end bonuses to the top 10 teams in the final NASCAR Winston Cup Series point standings, as well as a gold replica trophy presented to the series champion.  The NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion will receive $10,000, with the driver finishing second in the season point standings receiving an additional $3,500 for using Goodyear tires.  

MOBIL 1 COMMAND PERFORMANCE DRIVER OF THE RACE AWARD

Mobil 1 is extremely pleased to announce that it will be offering the Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race Award to all NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams for the 2003 season.  Awarded for command performance on the track, Mobil 1 awards prize money to the eligible winning driver of each race in the amount of $5,000.  Additionally, the driver that wins the most awards during the entire season will be awarded with a check in the amount of $100,000 at an event that will be held around the year-end NASCAR Awards Ceremony.

CLEVITE ENGINE BUILDER AWARD

Sponsored by Clevite Engine Parts, the Clevite Engine Builder of the Year will reward the top engine builders of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.  The Clevite Engine Builder of the Year will be determined based on scores from 23 NWCS events.  In 2003, the point fund will reward the top three engine builders at season's end.  The Clevite Engine Builder of the Year will receive $77,000; $20,000 will go to second place and $10,000 will be awarded to third place.  The 2002 Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award went to Mark Cronquist of Joe Gibbs Racing.

GOODYEAR GATORBACK FASTEST LAP AWARD

The "Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap Award" will be presented to the driver of the car turning the fastest official lap at each NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in 2003.  To be eligible to receive the $5,000 bonus in each race, the car must be equipped with Goodyear Belts during the race and must display a "Goodyear Belts and Hose" decal on the car.  A $75,000 year-end award will be presented to the driver who receives the most "Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap Awards" during the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.

MECHANIX WEAR PIT CREW OF THE YEAR AWARD

$75,000 at year end.  This award is broken down quarterly with a specific point system.  The top 15 eligible finishing drivers are awarded points based on their finishing position.  The team with the highest point total during the first quarter will become a year-end award finalist and the first quarter winner.  The same process will occur for each of the four quarters.  Once a team has become a quarterly winner, they will not be scored for the remaining quarters to ensure four finalists.  The overall winner for 2002 was Chip Ganassi Racing's #40 team.

McDONALD'S/POWERADE DRIVE-THRU PIT CHAMPIONSHIP

McDonald's, the official Drive Thru of NASCAR, and POWERADE, the official sports drink of NASCAR, have teamed to sponsor an award program that celebrates the unsung heroes in NASCAR's three major racing series -- Winston Cup, Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck.  The McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERADE will offer prize money in excess of $1.2 million during the 2003 season, making it the largest monetary contingency program in NASCAR history and the first season points championship for pit crew teams.  The program will award $20,000 per week to the top-performing NASCAR Winston Cup pit crew. In addition, results will be tabulated throughout the season to determine the program's championship crew, which will take home $200,000.  During each 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup points event, the crew whose car spends the least amount of aggregate time off the race track will be named the weekly winner provided their driver took the green flag at the beginning of the event and checkered flag at the conclusion of the event. The winning crew each week will receive $20,000 and a traveling trophy to proudly display during the next event.  Following every race, participating crews will be ranked in order of pit performance, with 43 points going to the top finisher, descending to one point for the last-place team. The crew with the highest cumulative score at season's end will win the annual championship and take home a $200,000 prize.  NASCAR will measure times using the official scoring transponders that monitor the cars on the track. A timing line at the entrance and exit to pit road will trigger the transponders and record the total time each car spends off the race track.  (Courtesy McDonald's Corp.)

(Reproduced from the 2003 Official NASCAR Preview and Press Guide, pgs 90-91)