News Hard Work Rewards Win-Tron Racing; Matt Merrell With Top-10 At Iowa    “Momentum and Determination Propels Texas Native To First Top-10 Finish”  NEWTON, Iowa (September 24, 2008) - - Finally. In his first trip to Iowa Speedway, USAR Hooter’s Pro Cup Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Matt Merrell stormed back into the spotlight with a strong weekend that rewarded the Win-Tron Racing team with their first career USAR top-10 finish in Saturday night’s Race 2 Recovery 225.  Entering Iowa, Merrell and the Lakeville, Minnesota-based Win-Tron Racing team looked to keep some positive momentum moving forward as Merrell in the most recent USAR event at Mansfield Motorsports Park played it cool, calm and collective which brought the team back into the top-15. The momentum showed when the cars took to the track in practice Saturday morning. Merrell, aboard the No. 32 Merrell Lease Service Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS looked more like a veteran than a rookie when he placed the team sixth on the speed charts.  “Our car is really handling well,” said Merrell. “We’re off to a strong start to the weekend and we hope to keep going in the right direction.” And, the right direction the team did go. In qualifying, Merrell showcased his time trial skills by laying down a quick lap which put him on the outside of row number one. Starting second, Merrell had a clear shot of the front pack after mounting a lap of 23.574 seconds at 133.622 miles per hour. It was the third time this season and the first since Motor Mile Speedway in July where the 23-year old found himself on the front row. “Man, this is great,” the Portland, Texas native stated. “Hats off to this Win-Tron Racing team, they brought me a great racecar and as a team we’ve been able to show it here at Iowa. It’s a neat little place and I hope that our luck spans for the race.” At the start of the Race 2 Recovery 225, Merrell kept his Chevrolet near the front as he hovered safely inside the top-three. While not being able to push his way to the lead, Merrell kept his game face on with the leader’s insight and ready to take advantage of any mistake they would make. Still turning some powerful lap times it was evident that Merrell had a car that win. Electing to stay out on lap 37 when the caution flag flew. Keeping their team up front would be crucial at avoiding the short track chaos in the back of the pack. Approaching lap 50, Merrell informed his team that the motor was acting up with it becoming evident that the engine had lost a cylinder. Now running on seven cylinders, Merrell knew his night would now become one with obstacles. Over the next forty circuits, Merrell would continue to keep his machine comfortably on the lead lap despite the lack of horsepower before a tire blew forcing the No. 32 to scrape the wall on lap 110 bringing out the yellow flag. With the damage minimal, Merrell would still being his entry to pit road for tires, fuel and damage control. Now restarting in the “eye of the storm”, the rookie knew that patience would be the winning word of the day to negotiate his way back towards the lead pack. One problem though. Merrell had fallen off the lead lap. Vying for the Aaron’s Lucky Dog, the avid racecar driver would never give less than 150 percent on the restart and when the yellow flag flew on lap 150, the Win-Tron Racing team could be seen high-fiving as Merrell indeed was the beneficiary of the lucky dog. Now back on the lead circuit, time was running out but Merrell was ready for the challenge. Accept the challenge he did. Thundering his way back towards the front with an ill motor, the No. 32 found himself sitting 11th when the red flag was waived on lap 211. With the red flag being withdrawn, Merrell knew that he could only have one chance at pushing his way back into the top-10. He didn’t disappoint. Over the final 10 markers, Merrell shoved and out cornered his way past Derrick Kelley to cross the line 10th, his best finish of the season on the USAR tour. “It was an eventful night for sure,” said Merrell after the race. “We were strong early and then we got ourselves in a tiff when the motor problem occurred. Then we had contact with the wall, just a bizarre series of circumstances. Luckily, the team did a great job repairing the car and they never gave up their faith in me and we were able to rally back for a strong finish.” He continued, “We now seriously have some good momentum and thanks to everyone on the Win-Tron Racing team we’ll head to Southern National Raceway Park looking for a top-five. I have to also thank our sponsors, they’ve been with us through the thick and thin and now we’re really putting together the finishes, we know we’ve been capable off all season.” Team Manager Nate Thiesse of Win-Tron Racing offered, “We knew it was only a matter of time before we would be able to connect the dots and get a top-10 finish. I’m really proud of this team. They worked their butts off and it showed with the performance in Iowa even with all the challenges we faced. We’ll regroup and prepare for our next challenge next month at Southern National Raceway Park and look for an even better finish.” Merrell Lease Service and Win-Tron Driver Development held the sponsorship roles on the No. 32 entry this past weekend. Next up for the championship series is a trip to Kenly, North Carolina and a visit to Southern National Raceway Park on Saturday, October 18th. Merrell will make his track debut in the 11th event of the season.