Pit Crew Challenge Winners Wayne & Tommy Laliberte

Wayne & Tommy Laliberte with the rest of the finalist

DEWALT, a leading manufacturer of power tools, announced the results of its 1st annual Pit Crew Challenge Championship, Wayne Laliberte from San Jose, California and his son, Tommy Laliberte from San Jose, California, took a page from the Tortoise and Hair fable to successfully change the front and rear tires on a modified DEWALT racecar to beat their competitors Brian Timmins and Tim Christ both from Millersvale, PA, with a time of 26.29 second and 10 tight lug nuts. Timmons and Christ posted a 21.00 second time, but one of the 10 lugnuts was not tightend to the required minimum of 20 foot pounds of torque. The Laliberte team each took home a $55,000 Roush Stage 3 Mustang, $2,000 in DEWALT tools and a trip to the 2005 Daytona 500 in yesterday’s competition.

“We couldn’t be happier for Wayne and Tommy Laliberte. They were facing very tough competitors today, many of whom where posting very fast times, but they showed that reliability and consistency was what mattered most.“ commented Susan Wiercinski, group brand manager for DEWALT. “The response to to the Pit Crew Challenge has been overwhelming, with more than 3,600 people participating since we started the competition in August of this year. We look forward to launching this program on a nationwide level next year, bringing the Challenge to DEWALT Power Tool retailer partners and various NASCAR races throughout the season.“

The nine teams were chosen from previous Pit Crew competitions held at eight locations across the country, begining in August 2004. Contestants signed up to compete in the challenge at the DEWALT Rolling Thunder trackside display. Teams of two raced to change the front and rear tires on a modified DEWALT racecar using a DEWALT Heavy-Duty ½“ 18V Cordless Impact Wrench (DW059K-2). The team that completed the event in the fastest time with 10 tight lug nuts at each location was declared the Preliminary Event Winner of that competition. Each preliminary event winning team member received an 18V Cordless XRP™ 4 Tool Combination Kit (DC4KITA), a 18V Cordless Impact Wrench (DW059K-2), a DEWALT Protective Gear package (valued at $75) and a $100 DEWALT Footwear voucher.

On Sunday, prior to the last race in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Chase for the Championship, the Lalibertes took the DEWALT Pit Crew Challenge for one last time. This time they competed against two of the best in the business, Justin Nottestad, front tire changer for the #17 DEWALT Racing team, and Jeremy West, rear tire changer for the #17 DEWALT Racing team. While they gave it their best shot, it’s safe to say that the team of Nottstead and West have had a fair share of experience when it comes to performing under pressure. With a winning time of 23.76 seconds, Nottestad and West won $25,000 in DEWALT tools for their teammates back at the #17 team garage. Afterwards, West had this to say, “The DEWALT Pit Crew Challenge is a great thing for the fans and for DEWALT. It was a good warm-up for us and hopefully a sign of things to come today.”