Salem, IN (January 27, 2009) – Champion Racing Association officials have announced that the Harris Products Group has agreed to continue its sponsorship of the Harris Products Group Season Lap Leader Awards for the upcoming CRA Super Series 2009 season. The Harris Products Group, a division of Lincoln Electric, will award the CRA Super Series driver that leads the most laps in the regular 100/125-lap series point’s events on the 2009 schedule with a set of the Harris Products Group Cutting Torches.

In addition, The Harris Products Group will award the driver who leads the most laps in the special events on the 2009 CRA Super Series schedule with a set of Harris Products Group Cutting Torches. The special events will be races more than 125 laps in length, including the three events scheduled for Nashville, the 200 lap event at Plymouth Speedway and the Winchester 400. Both awards will be presented at the 2009 Champion Racing Association Awards Banquet. This will be the seventh consecutive season that the Harris Products Group has been a sponsor of the CRA Super Series.

2008 CRA Super Series Champion Scott Hantz won the Harris Products Group Season Lap Leader Award for the 2008 season in the100/125 lap events. In winning a record third series Championship, Hantz won five events and lead 212 laps. 2007 CRA Super Series Champion Chris Gabehart was the winner of the Harris Products Group Season Lap Leader Award for the extra distance races over 125 laps this season. Gabehart lead 133 laps of the Winchester 400 and lead 94 laps of the All American 200 event at Nashville that he won, to lead 227 laps total to claim the award.

The Harris Products Group will also continue their sponsorship of the Harris Products Group Sportsman Of The Year Award for both the Howe CRA Late Model Sportsman Series and CRA Street Stock Series again in 2009. The award will be presented at the 2009 Champion Racing Association Awards Banquet and will consist of a product certificate from the Harris Products Group. The winner of each award will be voted on by series officials and will be the driver in each division who best represents the sport of auto racing both on and off the track during the 2009 season. Charlie Hanna was the 2008 Harris Products Group Howe CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Sportsman Of The Year Award winner while Patrick O’Connor won the award in the CRA Street Stocks.

In May of 2006, the J.W. Harris Company and Harris Calorific, Inc. were merged together to form The Harris Products Group. This integration supported the combining of consumables and equipment for welding, cutting, brazing and soldering for their customer base. The new company logo compliments the best of both Harris organizations and connects them with their parent company, Lincoln Electric. More information can be found at www.harrisproductsgroup.com.