GASTONIA, NC – WIX Filters, part of Affinia Group’s family of brands, is celebrating 40 years in racing. To recognize the milestone, WIX will introduce a commemorative logo during Memorial Day weekend NASCAR events and make a special charitable donation in the name of the driver that leads the 40th lap of the Coca-Cola 600. 
WIX Filter’s history in racing begins with racing legend Richard Petty, who began using WIX filters in his stock car engines in 1967. In 1968 WIX became an industrial member of the National Association of Stock Car Racing. Since then, a growing number of teams each year have used WIX filters to guard their engines from contaminants, and today nearly 100 percent of NASCAR race teams depend on WIX to keep their engines free from dirt, grime and dust on race day, according to the company.
“For the past 40 years racing has provided WIX with one of the toughest testing grounds imaginable for our filters and the technology behind them,” said Jeff Blocher, brand manager for WIX Filters. “If our filters can thrive during 600 grueling miles at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, customers can be certain that our filters will provide excellent protection for their vehicles.”
Cars using WIX Filters in the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 and Coca-Cola 600 May 26 and 27 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will feature a specially-designed decal bearing the WIX – 40 Years in Racing logo on their front fender. And, in a gesture of support to the racing community, WIX will donate $40 for each of the first 40 laps – $1,600 – to the non-profit group Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) in the driver’s name who leads the 40th lap of the Coca-Cola 600.
“The charitable donation is another way for us to give back to the racing community that has provided WIX with 40 years worth of the most effective research and development environments for our products,” Blocher said.
WIX shares its research data with NASCAR teams, and research data flows from race teams to WIX. Crews test filters and other components both on the track and in the race shop, providing data and filters from races and test sessions for WIX to analyze in its research lab. With this data, WIX engineers develop solutions to the unique problems faced in the grueling conditions of professional motorsports and new solutions that can be applied to heavy duty and light duty filtration applications.
Among the product components designed by WIX as a result of at-track research are oil filter sealing gaskets that withstand sudden exposure to high pressures, high temperatures and synthetic oils; synthetic filtration media that holds up when impacted by high oil and air flows mixed with contaminants; and premium metal coatings for metal components that resist corrosion in severe environments.
“The ability to go and basically buy an over-the-counter filter that performs as well as anything you can design and buy yourself and race is pretty impressive,” said Jimmy Makar, general manager of Joe Gibbs Racing, which fields teams in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch racing series. “This is a testament to WIX and their commitment to putting superior products out for the general public and not just racers.”
Affinia Group’s brands have extensive ties in NASCAR. WIX Filters is an associate sponsor of two-time NEXTEL Cup Champion Joe Gibbs Racing, the title sponsor of the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award, an official NASCAR Performance Product and the number one filter in NASCAR. Raybestos brand brakes is an associate sponsor of Robert Yates Racing, the Official Brakes of NASCAR and the title sponsor of the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award, and Spicer Chassis is a product sponsor of numerous race teams, including Joe Gibbs Racing and Robert Yates Racing.
For more information about WIX Filtration, go to: http://www.wixfilters.com.
