Any NASCAR driver posting career totals of 45 wins, 44 pole positions and 224 Top-5 finishes would be recognized as a superstar by every measure in the sport.

Now, consider posting those numbers in a single season.

That’s exactly what EMP Stewart Components cooled vehicles did in 2006 establishing those marks in the 96 races contested in NASCAR’s top three divisions – Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck.

“I knew we had a good NASCAR season, but I had no idea it was that good,” said Jeff Canull, General Manager of EMP Stewart Components. “It’s a real credit to our engineering staff and the engine builders we work with to create water pumps that can perform at the highest levels of stock car racing in this country, NASCAR. We couldn’t be prouder of the accomplishments of our products this season and the people who all worked together to make it happen.”

At the Nextel Cup level, Matt Kenseth (right), Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton put EMP Stewart Components in Victory Lane a total of 13 times in the 36 races contested.

Kenseth and Biffle each campaigned Fords which featured the EMP Stewart Components/Yates Ford Pro Series Water Pump while Harvick and Burton Chevy’s were equipped with the EMP Stewart Components GM Pro Series Water Pump. Busch, meanwhile, drove a Penske Dodge to a win at Bristol, TN last spring, the car cooled by an EMP Stewart Components/MERE Dodge Pro Series Water Pump.

Busch (left) proved to be a terror in Nextel Cup qualifying as well tying for the top spot in division pole positions with six in 2006. Burton managed to win the pole four times including two of the biggest races of the year - the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

Harvick, Biffle, David Gilliland and Ryan Newman also knuckled up in qualifying to give EMP Stewart Components 17 poles (48 percent) in the 36 Cup races contested in 2006.

“We’re fortunate to have our water pumps on every Ford engine that is produced by Robert Yates/Jack Roush Racing Engines,” stated Canull (Yates/Roush engine with Ford pump at left). “Richard Childress Racing also uses our GM Pro Series Water Pump on its Chevrolet entries and the Penske Jasper Engines that power Roger Penske’s cars utilize our Dodge Pro Series Water Pump. It's a real honor that those kind of eninge builders choose to work with us and our engineers to develop the best, highest performance and quality cooling components possible. You couldn’t ask for better teams, drivers and engine builders to be associated with.”

As impressive as the success of EMP Stewart Components products was in Nextel Cup racing, those results almost pale by comparison to the statistics the company racked up in the NASCAR Busch Series this season.

Harvick’s EMP Stewart Components cooled RCR Chevy (below right at Daytona) turned in a season for the ages winning the NASCAR Busch Series championship by a stunning 824 points. Edwards and Bowyer gave EMP Stewart Components a 1-2-3 sweep of the top positions in the final Busch Series championship standings.

Harvick's final totals included nine wins and 32 Top-10 finishes in 35 races. He completed a bullet-proof 6,758 out of 6,759 laps contested this season.

"Kevin Harvick had a monster season and we couldn't be happier for him and everyone back at the Richard Childress Racing engine shop in Welcome, NC," said Canull. "RCR switched to our GM Pro Series Water Pump (below Left) this year in Cup, Busch and Truck winning in all three divisions. We couldn't be happier for the RCR engine group. The whole RCR organization worked really hard on their program and we're thrilled to be a part of their success this season and a sweep of the top-three spots in the Busch Series championship standings."

The EMP Stewart Components parade to the Victory Lane featued 21 Busch Series race victories (60 percent) with Biffle, Burton, Kurt Busch, Edwards, Kenseth and Bowyer joining Harvick as race winners.

In all, EMP Stewart Components Pro Series Water Pump cooled cars posted a staggering 108 Top-5 NASCAR Busch Series finishes in 2006 – including a sweep of the Top-5 positions at three events – California (March), Richmond (May) and Dover (June).

In 10 other events, EMP Stewart Components cooled racers took four of the Top-5 finishing positions.

"NASCAR teams really like the high performance and simplicity of EMP Stewart Components Pro Series Water  Pumps,” said Canull. “Their design allows for superior coolant flow and the cartridge style impeller allows teams to do regular maintenance to the pump without breaking the seal to the block. In racing, performance and ease of maintenance are everything.”

Mark Martin (left) led the charge for EMP Stewart Components in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series winning a division-high six races in his No. 6 Roush Racing Ford F-150.

Martin captured the biggest races in the division including the season-opener at Daytona, the division’s first-ever appearance at Talladega, and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In all, EMP Stewart Components cooled trucks won 11 of the 25 NCTS races contested this season with Ron Hornaday, Jr., Terry Cook, Rick Crawford and Clint Bowyer also earning victory laurels.

Martin, David Ragan, Hornaday, Marcos Ambrose, Erik Darnell and Bowyer teamed up to give EMP Stewart Components nine pole positions in 2006 Truck Series action.

“Teams running our water pumps did extremely well in the Truck Series this season,” said Canull. “They scored 11 wins – that’s nearly half the races. Both our Ford and GM Pro Series Water Pumps won poles and races. It was a great year for us in the trucks and in NASCAR racing as a whole.”

In the end, the numbers - 45 wins, 44 pole positions and 224 Top-5 finishes in NASCAR’s top-three divisions this season – support Canull’s assessment.

“We knew we had something special four or five years ago when we developed the Dodge version (right) of the EMP Stewart Components Pro Series Water Pump with NASCAR engine builder Mike Egge,” said Canull. “We were thrilled that Penske Racing with Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman immediately won races with the new pumps back then and more importantly, we had almost zero technical problems or failures.

"That technology, additional engineering on our end, and help from RCR and Robert Yates, have been utilized to create GM and Ford versions of the pump that have proven to be successful beyond our imagination," Canull continued. "It’s the kind of success that you can’t even dream about when you are designing a new product. To say we are very proud of our NASCAR accomplishments this season is an understatement.”

Located in Escanaba, MI, EMP Stewart Components manufactures and distributes a broad line of high performance and OEM replacement cooling components for many GM, Ford and Chrysler car and truck engines. The company also introduced a breakthrough BMW high performance/OEM replacement water pump in late 2005 and its Electric Water Pumps are a staple in the high performance/drag racing and hot rodding markets.

To view or purchase any of the products in the EMP Stewart Components parts catalog, please click on the following link –

http://www.stewartcomponents.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=HiFlowWaterPumps