Art Schmitt Records a Victory as Nissan Trucks Dominate CORR Race in Antigo; Chad Hord Finishes Second and Ranks Second Overall After Four Rounds

Business Wire, June 14, 2005

ANTIGO, Wis. -- If Art Schmitt had his way, he'd race in Antigo every weekend. Schmitt recorded his first victory of the 2005 season in Round Three at the Mole Lake Regency Casino Off-Road Championships. The victory was Schmitt's 9th career Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR) victory; four of them taking place at the Langlade County Fairgrounds in Antigo.

Schmitt, of Pittsburgh, jumped out to the early lead on the first lap and never looked back, finishing well ahead of the pack. Schmitt wasn't the only Nissan driver on the podium as teammate Chad Hord also had an impressive showing in Round Three, resulting in a second place finish.

Round Four started off much the same way. Both Schmitt and Hord were near the front of the pack and gaining ground quickly when a racing incident occurred, dropping them back to a fifth (Schmitt) and sixth (Hord) place finish.

"All the Nissan Frontiers ran extraordinarily well this weekend -- both in handling and power," said Ron Stukenberg, senior manager, Nissan Motorsports marketing and operations. "I'm encouraged to see that all of the testing and changes the Nissan teams have made over the past few months, as well as the engine development program, are now starting to pay off."

After four completed rounds, Hord ranks second in the 2005 CORR points standings with 55 overall points. Schmitt is in fourth place and well within striking distance with 47 overall points.

The next stop in the CORR Lucas Oil Series is the Crandon International Off Road Raceway, in Crandon, Wis., on June 25-26, for the Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run. Schmitt won the Crandon event last September.

The Mole Lake Regency Casino Off-Road Championships will be televised exclusively on the Speed Channel. Round Three will air July 29 at 6:00 p.m. ET and Round Four will be televised August 5 at 2:00 p.m. ET (programming is subject to change).

NISMO, the premier supplier of high-performance parts and accessories for Nissan vehicles, supports the team. NISMO now offers a wide range of parts, accessories and apparel through participating Nissan dealers nationwide. For more information on the complete line of NISMO parts and accessories, log on to www.NissanUSA.com/NISMO.> In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution, and manufacturing. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan vehicles can be found online at www.nissanusa.com or contact the corporate media line at 310-771-5631.