Nexen Tire Congratulates VDE Racing on 2022 Crandon Championship Off-Road PRO SPEC World Championships Win

Nexen Tire-Sponsored Driver Chris Van Den Elzen of VDE Racing Finishes Season Strong with Podium Wins

RICHFIELD, Ohio, (Sept. 22, 2022) — Nexen Tire America, Inc., a worldwide leader in high-performance, passenger, SUV/light truck and winter tire technology, congratulates VDE Racing on its world championship win in PRO SPEC at this year’s World Championship Off-Road Races at Crandon International Raceway in Crandon, WI. Sponsored by Nexen Tire, VDE Racing's Chris Van Den Elzen pulled off the world championship win in PRO SPEC, beating out fellow competitors Easton Sleaper, Gray Leadbetter and Nick Visser, finishing the season strong. Van Den Elzen attributes much of his success this season to the quality of his Nexen Tires. “These tires are amazing,” said Van Den Elzen. “We tested the Roadian AT Pro, Roadian MTX Xtreme Off-Road and Roadian ATX, and all three tires proved to be amazing in specific race-conditions with absolutely zero tire failures all year. The Roadian MTX confidently hooked up in loamy and wet conditions, and the Roadian AT Pro was my tire of choice for dry and slick 'blue groove' conditions. Once the Roadian ATXs were released, they quickly became our tire of choice. The wider contact patch and staggered edges allowed for amazing traction in all conditions.” Starting out in the Light Buggy class, and later racing in Pro Buggy, Van Den Elzen entered PRO SPEC after deciding he and his team at VDE Racing wanted to continue expanding the race program even more. Van Den Elzen and his team began considering professional-level trucks and decided to take a chance in PRO SPEC, one of Championship Off-Road's latest classes. The idea of PRO SPEC appealed to Van Den Elzen because the class is based on driver skill and setup, as well as a competition among tire manufacturers. In addition, Van Den Elzen also liked that PRO SPEC is backed by GM Performance and supplies a class-specific engine for all PRO SPEC trucks. The rules and regulations for PRO SPEC make for a very close racing class, which highly appealed to him and his team. “This year had both highs and lows. We had consistent fastest times in qualifying, four wins and many podium finishes. On the other end, we were susceptible to random part failures or odd race conditions that unfortunately kept us out of top spots. That’s just how racing goes,” Van Den Elzen said. “The biggest team takeaway is the growth of the VDE program, including our branding, connections made with the Championship Off-Road production team, as well as other racers and great partnerships with brands like Nexen Tire.” “On behalf of all of us here at Nexen Tire, we’d like to congratulate Chris and his team at VDE Racing on a well-earned championship win and a very successful race season,” said Brian YoonSeok Han, CEO of Nexen Tire America, Inc. “Nexen Tire has always been a big supporter of motorsports, and we're excited to celebrate the success of our sponsored drivers by continuing to support them with race-winning tire solutions. We look forward to seeing what VDE Racing can accomplish next year in the 2023 Championship Off-Road season. For more information, please contact Media@NexenTireUSA.com or call 310-374-6177. About Nexen Tire: Inspired by Nexen’s global family of drivers to engineer superior performing tires – from championship-winning Formula DRIFT drivers, rock-climbing off-road enthusiasts to everyday commuters – Nexen Tire utilizes proprietary technology and the highest quality standards in the industry to guarantee world-class products backed by unrivaled customer support for the life of each tire. As a worldwide leader in high-performance, passenger, SUV / light truck and winter offerings, the company is second-to-none in research, development and state-of-the-art manufacturing. And as part of a select group of tire manufacturers worldwide that are specified as standard fitment on original equipment vehicles, Nexen delivers premium products at a sensible price.