Minnesota custom home builder Larry Allar stepped across the racetrack at the LENOX 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, picked up the keys to the Site Commander Sweepstakes grand prize, and drove off with the most awesome work truck on the planet. Allar, a longtime Tools of the Trade reader and LENOX customer, won the tricked-out Dodge Ram 5500 Site Commander, which, loaded with LENOX tools, cutting-edge products, and technology, was worth $118,990.
Allar had entered the contest online early this year and then forgot about it – until he got the call. "At first I couldn't believe I'd won," Allar said, soon after hearing the good news. "And even now it's still sinking in.
I feel fantastic." His company, Nest Builders, specializes in design-building new homes and remodeling projects.
The ceremony was part of a weekend-long celebration of the Site Commander program hosted by LENOX, the sponsor of the LENOX 301 NASCAR race. It included pre-race stops along the pit area and at race-prep garages, the drivers meeting, and the high-security collection of luxury motor homes on the infield of the track where the NASCAR drivers and their families stay.
This year's Site Commander build-out and tour was by far the most ambitious since Tools of the Trade launched the program nine years ago, with more new products on display and more high-tech systems in operation than ever. And the response has been awesome; before closing on May 1, the sweepstakes contest drew 28,957 entries from contractors across the country. By the end of this summer's tour, the Site Commander will have visited more than 400 Lowe's stores coast-to-coast.
The Site Commander tour is sponsored by Tools of the Trade, LENOX Industrial Tools, and Dodge Trucks. Other sponsoring companies include Carhartt, Dell, Georgia-Pacific, Reading Truck Body, Segway, Sprint, Therma-Tru Doors, and Werner Ladder.
The sweepstakes may have ended, but the tour goes on, with Site Commanders appearing through the end of the summer. Check out thesitecommander.com to see more photos from the LENOX 301 and to learn more about the great features included in the ultimate work truck. You'll also be able to find an upcoming appearance at a Lowe's store near you.
– Rick Schwolsky
