Nissan Debuts New 2005 Frontier Racer

Veteran Nissan driver Art Schmitt and his No. 8 Nissan Frontier race truck surged to the early lead and never looked back at last week's BorgWarner World Championships at the Crandon International Off-Road Speedway. Schmitt's wire-to-wire victory in the Championship Off-Road Racing Series (CORR) Pro-Lite Division's Round 11 was the first win for Nissan this year and came in the competition debut of the all-new 2005 Frontier body.

The completely redesigned production version of the new, larger and more powerful 2005 Nissan Frontier goes on sale in late 2004 and will be available with a new 4.0-liter DOHC, 24-valve V-6 engine rated at 265 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of torque - which Nissan claims is more V-6 power than any other pickup.

Fellow Nissan drivers Chad Hord and Mark Krueger both piloted their Frontiers to impressive showings in the two rounds of weekend competition. Hord shared the podium with Schmitt with a third place finish in Round 11 and placed fourth in Round 12, while Krueger overcame a flat tire to finish third in round 12.

In overall driver championship standings, Hord moved into second position, with Schmitt and Krueger residing in sixth and seventh places respectively. Nissan is currently third in the Manufacturers' Points.

Schmitt is the first to compete with the newly restyled Frontier body. All three drivers' race trucks are powered by 285-horsepower 2.5-liter, 16-valve, 4-cylinder racing engines.