KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Feb. 24, 2015) — Eric Butler's custom-built 1968 Mustang was the first recipient of WELD Racing L.L.C.'s President's Award at the 2015 O'Reilly's World of Wheels.
Custom wheel maker WELD said the award — mounted on a golden Prostar, one of the company's most iconic wheel designs — was presented to Mr. Butler for “the vehicle that embodies tradition, quality and durability like WELD wheels.”
Mr. Butler, who participated in the show at Bartle Hall in Kansas City, is a resident of the Kansas City metro area. He completed all the work on the vehicle by himself, including mounting custom WELD wheels with a 1996 Mustang bolt pattern.
In addition to receiving the award, WELD offered to repolish Mr. Butler's wheels and apply its ATC ceramic clear coat to make the wheels “factory new” forever, the company said. WELD also offered to host him for a tour of the wheel manufacturer's Kansas City factory to see how its wheels are made.
“Since we are based in Kansas City, WELD was excited to be a presenting sponsor at the event,” said Norm Young, president and CEO of WELD. “We put together this award to celebrate the men and women who spend hours working on and taking pride in their vehicles.
“These hobbyists, like Eric, truly love what they do and this was a small way for us to recognize and celebrate one of these weekend warriors.”
Since 1967 WELD — a Granite Creek company — has made and marketed forged race wheels for dirt, oval and drag racing, along with wheels for performance street cars and trucks. Each wheel is precision engineered for maximum performance on the street, off road and at the track, according to the company.