STATESVILLE, N.C. (December 21, 2006) – NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart shared big fish stories with over 300 fisherman at the inaugural Ryan Newman Foundation Celebrity Charity Fishing Tournament at Blythe Landing in Huntersville, NC on Saturday, December 16, 2006.

The charity bass tournament—sponsored by Ranger Boats and facilitated by FLW Outdoors—and VIP Reception—sponsored by Huckleberry’s BBQ—raised over $40,000 for the Ryan Newman Foundation Endowment, which will be a source for grants to nonprofit organizations that fulfill the foundation’s mission.

NASCAR’s 2005 Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart fished on Lake Norman during the tournament and signed autographs during the VIP Reception to support his fellow driver’s charity. Newman fished Lake Norman with FLW Angler of the Year Anthony Gagliardi in his Alltel-wrapped Ranger Boat.

Newman and Stewart were joined on the FLW Outdoors stage by Ranger Boats Founder Forrest Wood during the Awards Ceremony, sponsored by Alltel. Fisherman Brian Morgan and Michael Fox of Newton, NC won the grand prize, a 519VX Ranger Boat with a VZ200TLR HPDI Yamaha motor, valued at $35,000.

Newman says, “Conservation is very important to me, which is why my foundation made a $10,000 grant to Trout Unlimited earlier this year. Krissie and I want to be able to help other conservation groups in the future, which is why we are building the Ryan Newman Foundation Endowment by raising funds with events like our fishing tournament. We’re extremely grateful for the support of Ranger Boats, who sponsored our tournament and donated the grand prize. We’d also like to thank our VIP Reception Sponsor, Huckleberry’s BBQ and our Awards Sponsor, Alltel. Krissie and I are looking forward to an even bigger tournament in 2007.”

Ryan Newman and his wife, Krissie, established the Ryan Newman Foundation in January 2005. The mission of the foundation is to educate and encourage people to spay/neuter their pets and to adopt dogs and cats from animal shelters; to educate children and adults about the importance of conservation so the beauty of the great outdoors can be appreciated by future generations; and to provide college scholarship funding through the Rich Vogler Scholarship program to students interested in auto racing careers.

• 1st Place: Brian Morgan and Michael Fox of Newton, NC
  · Big Bass: Shaun Honea of Winder, GA and Randy Cantrell of Hendersonville, NC
• 2nd Place: Mark Svendsen of Atlanta, GA and and Ryan Bowman of Seneca, SC
• 3rd Place: Bryan Thrift of Shelby, NC and Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, SC
• 4th Place: Dale Evans and James Doster of Ridgeville, SC
• 5th Place: Doug Easton and David Lynch of Mooresville, NC
• 6th Place: John Strempke of Monroe, NC and Chris Bumgarner of Gastonia, NC
• 7th Place: Jody Wright of Ellenboro, NC and Lester Elton of Forest City, NC
• 8th Place: Daniel DuVall of Charlotte, NC and Dennis Jenkins of Denver, NC
• 9th Place: Danny McCall of Denver, NC and Hank Cherry of Maiden, NC
• 10th Place: Jason Jones of Dallas, NC and John Sharpe of York, SC
• 11th Place – 3 Way Tie: Steve Addington and Eddie Kirby of Dallas, NC; Randy Childers and Eric Gregg of Anderson, SC; Jerry Goble of Sherrills Ford, NC and Jim Witherspoon of Claremont, NC