Nextel Cup’s Riggs, Two-Time Truck
Champ Hornaday Named To Drive #30 Smith & Wesson Busch
Chevrolet in ’05
Daytona Beach,
Fla. (Friday, Feb. 18, 2004) – NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
regular Scott Riggs and two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series champion Ron Hornaday will share driving duties
behind the wheel of the #30 Smith & Wesson Chevrolet to
be campaigned by SKI Motorsports at eight NASCAR Busch
Series events in 2005, it was announced today at Daytona
International Speedway.
Riggs and Hornaday will wear the colors of Smith &
Wesson (AMEX: SWB), the legendary 153-year old firearms
manufacturer, at seven of the eight Busch events
beginning with the March 12 Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway.
“We are extremely pleased to have Scott and Ron join the
Smith & Wesson family and play such a vital role in
launching our full-scale entry into the exciting world
of NASCAR racing,” said Tom Taylor, Vice President of
Marketing for the Springfield, Mass.-based company.
“They are true competitors on the racetrack, and away
from the track they are active outdoorsmen, both traits
that are in line with what the Smith & Wesson heritage
is all about. Las Vegas can’t come fast enough!”
The 34-year-old Riggs, regular driver of the #10
Valvoline Chevrolet in the Nextel Cup Series, gets the
honor of debuting the red, white and blue Smith & Wesson
racing machine in the Busch race at Las Vegas. He’s also
slated to handle the driving duties at Charlotte (May
28), Bristol (Aug. 26) and Texas (Nov. 5). Riggs drove
full Busch series seasons in 2002 and 2003 before moving
up to Nextel Cup fulltime in 2004. He finished in the
top 10 in Busch points both seasons and scored four
victories during that time.
Hornaday, 46, is a two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series champion and has four Busch series wins to his
credit. He joins the Smith & Wesson team for Busch races
this season at Atlanta (March 19), California (Sept. 3)
and Phoenix (Nov. 12).
“From dust to racing in only 16 weeks is always a
challenge; however, with everyone working together, we
are very happy with the 2005 Smith & Wesson program and
feel confident going into Las Vegas,” said Chris
Lencheski, president of Charlotte- and Bethlehem,
Pa.-based SKI Motorsports, who will name a driver for
this summer’s Busch race here at Daytona (July 1) at a
later date.
“We’ll work toward our goals one step at a time, which
is the way to approach any new program in such a
competitive arena,” Lencheski added.
The #30 Smith & Wesson Chevrolet will feature several
paint schemes during the course of its inaugural season.
The red, white and blue design that will debut at Las
Vegas will be complemented at later races by dramatic
schemes representing tributes to America’s public
servants.
Smith & Wesson plans to aggressively support its NASCAR
involvement by way of high-profile marketing programs
featuring fan and customer promotions, as well as
at-the-track activities including safety educational
initiatives.
About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is one of the world’s largest
manufacturers of quality handguns, law enforcement
products and firearm safety/security product. The
company also provides shooter protection, knives,
apparel, footwear and other accessory lines. Smith &
Wesson is based in Springfield, Mass., with
manufacturing facilities in Springfield and Houlton,
Maine. The Smith & Wesson Academy is America’s
longest-running firearms training facility for America’s
public servants. For more information, call (800)
331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com.