Photo: Stacy Rainey, winner, and wife Renea after winning the contest
On August 28, starting at 8:00 am, twelve contestants stood and placed their hand on a car as part of the Contact with the Car contest hosted by Michigan Community Credit Union in partnership with Art Moehn Chevrolet, Extreme Dodge, and Seymour Ford. Nearly sixty hours later, Stacy Rainey of Horton outlasted his competitors and was awarded up to $20,000 to pay off his auto lease.
“What an experience, one that will never be forgotten. In the beginning, I thought that standing there with my hand on a car would be easy. Turns out, it was one of the hardest mental games that I have ever endured. I believe that if it wasn’t for my wife and friends experiencing this with me, along with their encouragement, I would not have made it. In the end, I walked away with much more than just first place. I met so many good people that I can now call my friends,” said Stacy Rainey.
According to the contest rules, the contestants had to stand and keep one hand on the car in the designated area. Every four hours, they were allowed a ten minute break to eat, drink, sleep, sit, and use the bathroom. The contest was scheduled to end after 72 hours. Second place winner, Nicole Eaton, was awarded $1000, and the remaining ten contestants received a gift card.
Contestants were entered by purchasing a vehicle at one of the featured dealers, Art Moehn Chevrolet, Extreme Dodge, and Seymour Ford, and financed through Michigan Community Credit Union, or leased, during the qualification period of August 1 through August 22, 2015. After the qualification period, the twelve contestants were randomly drawn to participate in the event.
“Our Contact with the Car event was a huge success! This couldn’t have happened without the partnership with the dealerships, which helped fuel the success. I am so proud of our team of employees who worked around the clock to pull off this remarkable event,” said Tina Hamilton, CEO of Michigan Community Credit Union. “The highlight for all of us was really the opportunity to meet our diverse group of 12 contestants; what a great group we had!”
Renea and Stacy Rainey with their new Seymour Ford Lincoln Ford Explorer (paid in full lease)