Lincoln Electric Helps Power Sam Hornish Jr. To Indy 500 Win


Lincoln Electric Serves as IRL's "Official Welder"

Cleveland - Only 0.635 seconds separated Sam Hornish Jr., the winner of the 2006 Indianapolis 500, from second place - and Lincoln Electric helped put him in the winner's circle. Lincoln is the exclusive provider of welding equipment and products to Sam Hornish Jr. and his team at Penske Racing Inc. The Indianapolis 500 was held on Sunday, May 28, 2006, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Lincoln Electric, the IRL's "Official Welder," powered not only the winning Indy 500 team but all Indy Racing League (IRL) teams running a full schedule.

"Serving as the IRL's 'Official Welder' is a clear example of Lincoln's commitment to the IRL and the racing industry," said Mickey Holmes, Lincoln Electric's Manager of Motorsports Marketing. "Our goal is to serve as a true partner with these teams by offering them excellent products, ongoing support, technical advice and working with them to continuously make the sport safer. They learn from us and we from them. It's a win-win partnership."

Providing welding equipment and products to the winning Indy 500 team is just the tip of Lincoln Electric's involvement with this annual race that pulls in more than 400,000 fans from across the country. Throughout May leading up to race day, the company sponsors free on-site welding services and trackside assistance to all teams in the track's designated welding garage operated by Lincoln distributor Indiana Oxygen and Lincoln Electric.

Welding support for the Indy 500 winner and other IRL teams, the on-site welding garage as well as a Hard Charger Award for the Indy 500 driver that moved up through the starting grid to lead the race are examples of Lincoln Electric's committed involvement with the IRL and the racing industry. Besides offering superior quality welding products, the company also provides race teams with ongoing technical support both on and off the track.

And Lincoln's involvement in racing extends not only to the IRL but to NASCAR, USAC, ARCA, and NHRA. The company serves as the major contingency sponsor for NHRA Championship Drag Racing, as well as NASCAR's Busch Grand National Series and Busch North Series. Lincoln Electric is a series sponsor for the ARCA Truck Series and an equipment sponsor for the ARCA ReMax Series.

The Lincoln Electric Company, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc-welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market. For more information, visit www.lincolnelectric.com.

Contact: Kate Eidam Frail
kfrail@robertfalls.com
Joe Mosbrook
jmosbrook@robertfalls.com
Robert Falls & Co. Public Relations
(216) 696-0229

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