With the current slump of the U.S. economy, one man has been able to defy it all. After aquiring an upsurge in excess of $600,000 in his customer accounts, John Cox has been named Lowe's Motor Speedway's 2008 Salesperson of the Year.

In 1994 Cox graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro earning a bacelor's degree in business management/marketing and minoring in political science and history. Ten years later Cox found himself on Lowe's Motor Speedway's corporate sales staff.

"John has been an excellent asset to the Lowe's Motor Speedway since his arrival four years ago," said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway. "He is an extremely hard worker who is always willing to go the extra mile. It's because of team members like John that we are able to provide the premier racing experience for our partners and fans."

In 2008 Cox enabled the Jim Beam 1100 program, invoked the sponsorship for the Cholula All-U-Can-Eat Section in the Diamond Tower Terrrace Grandstand and attained the Pennzoil Garage naming rights. In addition to those achievments, Cox was also able to increase his annual suite clients by 65 percent over 2007.

Lowe's Motor Speedway's senior vice president of corporate sales, Dan Farrell agrees with Smith's statement saying, "John is a true team player and has contributed greatly to the corporate sales department this year."

"In large part, his success can be attributed to his work ethic and his ability to build relationships with existing, as well as, potential partners," Farrell continued. "Our current economy requires a different approach when selling a corporation on the benefits of a motorsports sponsorship. John has been very successful in adapting his sales techniques to today's economy."