CANTON, Ohio, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Revving up for the 2004 race season, The Timken Company has announced it will become a contingency sponsor of the NASCAR Busch Series for three years, beginning with the 2004 season. The Hershey's Kisses 300 at Daytona International Speedway this weekend will mark the first time the Timken logo will appear on multiple NASCAR stock cars.

"We are excited about our growing partnership with NASCAR and are fully committed to providing the high-performance products and engineered surfaces NASCAR requires to maintain a competitive edge," said Salvatore J. Miraglia - senior vice president - technology. "The high-performance products we develop for racing applications benefit customers throughout our business, from automotive to industrial and aerospace applications."

Timken focuses its motorsports program on proving new technologies on the racetrack. Timken® bearings are used in numerous applications throughout motor racing, including wheels, axles, gearboxes and differentials. Timken(R) steel can be found in crankshafts, camshafts, gears, shock absorbers, brakes and engines. Timken also provides engineering services such as creating engineered surfaces for racecar components.

"Timken has made the move to support the NASCAR Busch Series and expand their NASCAR program beyond team involvement," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR Director of Business Operations. "We are very pleased to have such a strong leading company as part of our contingency program, and we look forward to our NASCAR Busch Series competitors showcasing the Timken logo beginning in Daytona."

The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR, www.timken.com) is a leading global manufacturer of highly engineered bearings and alloy steels and a provider of related products and services with operations in 29 countries. The company recorded 2003 sales of $3.8 billion and employed approximately 26,000 at year-end.

For Additional Information: Jason H. Saragian, Communications Manager of The Timken Company, +1-330-471-3514

SOURCE  The Timken Company
    -0-                             02/13/2004
    /CONTACT:  Jason H. Saragian, Communications Manager of The Timken
Company, +1-330-471-3514/
    /Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991012/TKRLOGO
              AP Archive:  http://photoarchive.ap.org
              PRN Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 212-782-2840/
    /Web site:  http://www.timken.com
                http://www.timken.com/media
    (TKR)

CO:  Timken Company
ST:  Ohio
IN:  AUT MNG
SU:

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