NRMCA Holds 2009 National Mixer Driver Championship

Hometown driver takes top honors at 2009 National Ready Mixed Concrete Association National Mixer Driver Championship.

SILVER SPRING, MD - A local ready mix truck driver earned top honors at the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association's Fourth Annual National Mixer Driver Championship, held earlier this week on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Joe Zygas from the nearby community of Lafayette, IN, a driver for NRMCA producer member Irving Materials Inc., won the top prize, outperforming an accomplished group of fellow mixer drivers. The driver championship was conducted as part of NRMCA's annual ConcreteWorks event held this year in Indianapolis. Along with the title and trophy, Zygas also earned the champion's check of $2,500.

The National Mixer Driver Championship, now in its fourth year, "was the closest competition to date," according to NRMCA Senior Vice President of Operation and Compliance Gary Mullings. Some 34 drivers, including state rodeo champions as well as NRMCA member company champions from around the nation, competed for the title "Best of the Best". The champion was selected based on a cumulative score derived from competitions that included a Driving Challenge Course, a Visual Vehicle Inspection and a 90-minute written examination. Awards were presented for the top three finishers, with all other drivers tied for fourth.

Zygas, known as Ziggy at Irving Materials, is a 17-year veteran at the company. He holds a Class "A" license along with a commercial pilot's license with a mechanics endorsement. He finished second in the 2009 Inaugural Indiana Ready Mixed Concrete Association's Skills Competition and is the reigning 2009 Irving Materials' corporate champion.

Second place went to Jeffrey Clark from Aggregate Industries in Greenbelt, MD, who earned a $1,000 check. Clark is a certified NRMCA Concrete Delivery Professional (CDP) and holds the company record for high score on the CDP written exam. He was the champion in the 2008 Maryland Motor Truck Association Ready Mix Concrete Class and is the reigning third place finisher in 2009.

The third place finisher was Trent Slavens, also of Irving Materials and Frankfort, IN. He has been driving a mixer truck for 10 years for Irving Materials. Slavens holds a Class "B" license. Trent is the reigning 2009 Indiana Ready Mixed Concrete Association Skills Competition champion.

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