King of the Drill – 14 Finalists Ready for $1,000,000 National Cordless Screwdriving Championship

King of the Drill – 14 Finalists Prepare for $1,000,000 National Cordless Screwdriving Championship

MEDIA CONTACT:
Todd Walter, DEWALT Media Relations – 717-471-4644 (twalter@swb.com)
Lisa Lamont, Chevy Truck Media Relations - 248-981-1993 (lisa.lamont@hassmsl.com)

PHOENIX, October 28, 2003 – Earn $1,000,000 in 6.5 seconds. That's what the fastest 14 drill slingers in North America will try to do as they compete November 1-2 in the DEWALT "Million Dollar Challenge" cordless screwdriving contest, sponsored by Chevy Trucks.

The challenge is to see who can drive five screws into a piece of wood the quickest with a DEWALT cordless drill. Contestants must start a timer, pick up the drill, drive the screws, and then stop the timer with the drill.

Contestants include:

Ben Palmer - Russelville, AR - 7.03 seconds
Dan Rancourt – Wilton, NH- - 7.19 seconds
Jaime Mills - Holland, OH - 7.23 seconds
Eric Howard - Concord, CA - 7.47 seconds
Mike Rennie - Kirkland, WA - 7.51 seconds
Kane Powell - Panora, IA - 7.7 seconds       
Mark Martin - Ostrander, OH - 7.7 seconds
Mike Fischer - Huntley, IL - 7.99 seconds
Rocky Lane - Loudon, TN - 8.18 seconds       
Tom Holland - Philadelphia, PA - 8.42 seconds
James McAnally - Longwood, FL - 8.68 seconds
Sergio Romero - Tucson, AZ - 8.7 seconds
Alex Mealer - Columbus, OH - 8.9 seconds
Kevin Brunette – Calgary, Alberta (Canada) - 10.09 seconds
   
The 13 Americans and one Canadian will be seeded tournament-style according to their times. Contestants will be eliminated until the last two men clash head-to-head in the final "screw off" November 2.
   
The "King of the Drill" is guaranteed to win $25,000 and a premium Chevy Silverado pick-up truck. To win the $1,000,000 grand prize, the champion must sink five screws under 6.5 seconds during the final round in front of thousands of spectators at the Phoenix International Raceway.
   
It's not as easy as it sounds. Most of the contestants built their own screwdriving practice stations using plans posted on DEWALT's web site. Some of the finalists have driven more than 450,000 screws in practice, while a few have even videotaped themselves to see where they can cut time.
   
This is the second year for the national screwdriving challenge.
Earlier this year DEWALT staged qualifying contests in more than 100 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada where people tested their prowess driving screws. More than 100,000 people entered. Regional contests were held last month to finalize the top 14 competing in Phoenix.

The 2003 DEWALT Million Dollar Challenge is presented by DEWALT Power Tools and Accessories, Chevy Trucks, the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors' Bureau, Bombardier ATV, Richard Petty's Driving Experience, Carhartt contractor clothing, Greenlee storage boxes, and Adrian Steel commercial van and truck equipment. Visit www.DEWALT.com for contest information.





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