FedEx Corp. defended the title of National Grand Champion at the 2004 National Truck Driving Championships as Wayne Crowder, a FedEx Freight driver from Louisville, Ky., captured the top honor at this year's event.

This marks the second year in a row that a FedEx driver has claimed the top prize.
Crowder was named National Grand Champion at last weekend’s championships, held in Salt Lake City for achieving the highest score among the winners of all nine classes in the competition. He also took home first place in the Flatbed class.
Two other FedEx Freight Drivers also won first-place honors in their truck classes.
-- Randy Anton, based in Bismarck, N.D., earned first place in the 3-Axle class.
-- Toby Kort of North Platte, Neb., captured the top spot in the 5-Axle class.
Additionally, four FedEx drivers finished in the top three in their respective classes:
-- FedEx Freight Driver Bud Deforest, based in Salt Lake City, finished second in the Flatbed class.
-- Mike Nardone, a driver for FedEx Ground in Hartford, Conn., placed second in the Twins class.
-- Roland Bolduc, a FedEx Express driver in Windsor Locks, Conn., was third in the 3-Axle class.
-- Paul Robichaud, a FedEx Express driver based in Londonderry, N.H., took third in the Flatbed class.
"The entire FedEx family is extremely proud of all our drivers and particularly of Wayne Crowder, whose professionalism and driving skills have earned him the noteworthy distinction of Grand Champion," said Frederick W. Smith, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx Corp. "The performances of our top-finishing FedEx representatives exemplify the discipline and focus on safety that our 23,000-plus drivers display on the job every day."