Ultimate Racing Room: ditech.com Names ’05 Winner

INDIANAPOLIS - (Oct. 20, 2005) — As Hurricane Katrina first hit Florida in late August, resident Bruce Creamer didn't expect to receive such a special phone call in the midst of the storm. Creamer was given news that he was to be the recipient of $50,000 -- the grand prize in the 2005 ditech.com Ultimate Racing Room Challenge II. A month later, he donated a large portion of his prize money to victims of Katrina's late-August fury along the Gulf Coast. Contestants used the builder tools on ditechracing.com to create a personalized racing room. With approximately 4,000 entries, Creamer was one of 10 finalists. All finalists were interviewed by ditech.com and were required to submit pictures of their home, family and room with a disposable camera. Additionally, each contestant submitted a short essay on why their design should win. As grand prize winner, a $50,000 check was officially presented to Creamer to make the "Ultimate Racing Room" he designed a reality. While Creamer planned to put a portion of the money toward remodeling to create his Ultimate Racing Room, he also gave generously to the Red Cross and a charity that drills wells in Africa to provide fresh water, as well as to his two daughters. Ditech.com awarded Creamer with the check at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., during the Oct. 13-15 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup weekend. While there, he also met ditech.com driver Brian Vickers for autographs and a photo opportunity. A racing fan for more than 30 years, Creamer first met Vickers in 2004 during his annual trip to Daytona Beach, Fla. He now looks forward to supporting Vickers throughout the season from the comfort of his new racing room. Creamer predicts his Ultimate Racing Room will draw a crowd. "Everybody will make use of the room and I'll probably have more friends showing up at the door," he said. "It's kind of like winning the lottery." In order to make room for a large group of people, Creamer crafted a neatly-designed room. The spaciousness made for an aesthetic layout, which appeared to be its strength. "I tried my best to plan an uncluttered and functional room," Creamer said. "Anytime you're planning around a home theater system with a big-screen TV and surround sound, you want to have openness and space for people." Though the 2005 contest has concluded, ditechracing.com has posted the designs of the finalists on the site. Visitors may still design a room and post it for others to view. The site also features an ultimate room designed by Vickers himself. See www.ditechracing.com to participate.