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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie Report: Rookie of the Year to be Decided at LVMS

8 November 1997

 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
 Cintas Rookie of the Year Report
 November 4, 1997

             CINTAS ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR TO BE DECIDED IN THE DESERT
  TALENTED TRIO OF CINTAS CONTENDERS TO APPEAR AT SPECIAL PRE-RACE BREAKFAST

LAS VEGAS, NV - A stellar collection of 28 first-year drivers started the 
1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season with designs on winning the Cintas 
Rookie-of-the-Year Award.

As the truck circuit heads into Sunday's season finale in Las Vegas with the 
running of the Carquest Auto Parts 420K, that hardy group has been pared to 
just a precious few. And those drivers -- Kenny Irwin, Rick Crawford and 
Stacy Compton -- will be on hand for the Cintas Rookie Breakfast at the Las 
Vegas Motor Speedway's Media Center beginning 9 a.m. Sunday. 

While all three drivers are going to the desert with an opportunity to claim 
the Cintas award, Irwin has the best chance of any in the talented trio. 
Following his fourth-place effort in last Saturday's GM Goodwrench/Delco 
Battery 300, Irwin (231 points) now leads Crawford (204) and Compton (192) by 
a healthy margin. 

The Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year competition, however, is based on a driver's 
best 14 finishes along with a system of bonus and panel points. The last 
round of bonus points, to be handed out following Sunday's final race, will 
reward individual performances for the final eight races of the 1997 
campaign. All three candidates will then be graded by a special NCTS/Cintas 
Rookie-of-the-Year Panel to round out the scoring. 

For his part, Irwin is excited about the possibility of taking home the 
circuit's highest honor for first-year drivers. 

"Winning the Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year would be one of the highlights of our 
season," Irwin said. "We've had some big moments. Winning races is great. 
Being in the top 10 in points is great, but I have never lost sight of the 
fact that this is my one chance to win the Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year Award."

The winner of the Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year Award will take home a 
first-place check worth $7,000 with $2,500 earmarked for the runner-up. 
Additionally, Cintas has awarded $750 to the highest-finishing rookie and 
$250 to the second-place rookie for all 26 races on the 1997 NCTS schedule 
bringing the competition's total purse to $36,000.

The '97 Cintas Rookie program, with an enrollment of five more members over 
last year's inaugural class, boasted drivers from 15 different states 
including the series' first female, Tammy Jo Kirk. It has proven to be a 
solid training ground for NASCAR's future starts. 

"We're extremely proud that such a large number of talented individuals and 
teams have chosen to advance their careers with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck 
Series, said NASCAR V.P. for Administration Dennis Huth, who will host 
Sunday's Cintas Rookie Breakfast. "Nonetheless, we're not surprised that so 
many competitors who will be some of NASCAR's stars of the 21st Century have 
made this decision. The close competition of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck 
Series provides the kind of test which brings out the best in driver and 
team. The lessons these Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year candidates learn this year 
will serve them well in the future."


By Muhleman Marketing