SACRAMENTO, California — The national NASCAR focused driver talent search conducted by Ron Sutton's Winner's Circle launches today. Top young drivers will be selected to participate in driver try outs at the 2010 Shoot-Out in October. Winning drivers joining the development program will be raced, groomed, coached, tested, trained and molded into what NASCAR Cup teams want in their drivers.
"As always … we’re looking for talent. Not money, not a set number of drivers … just young talent that has real potential to go all the way to NASCAR Sprint Cup."— Ron Sutton
The Shoot-Out application process is open to all drivers 11 to 20 years of age, with race winning backgrounds in race cars and/or youth racing series, such as: Kart Racing, Legends, Dwarf Cars, Quarter Midgets, Mini/Micro-Sprints and Dirt Karts.
Ron Sutton's Winner's Circle (RSWC) is known in racing circles as the largest, most comprehensive, most established and best connected NASCAR focused Talent Scout and Driver Career Development Program.
In the last year, RSWC has coordinated a Talent Combine in North Carolina with four top RSWC drivers testing with NASCAR Cup Teams, an individual RSWC driver test with a NASCAR Cup Development Team and guided a female RSWC driver successfully into the fully funded NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. In addition, two RSWC Drivers secured career building sponsors to sign with top NASCAR teams for 2011.
RSWC has developed many young racers to successfully make the transition from youth racing to winning car races in the USAC Young Guns Midget, Ford Focus Midget, Western Midget and Sprint Cars series, including Jessica Brunelli, Bobby Grewohl, Brendan Langlois, Jace Meier, Ian Miille, Joel Miller, Benny Moon, Jimmy Moon, Brennan Newberry, Jeff Oleen, Nik Romano, Porter Smith, Keegan Walmer, Brandon White, Eli Schrock, Austin Farley and more.
On the stock car and modified scene, RSWC has developed many young racers to successfully make the transition to winning full size car races in NASCAR series, including Jessica Brunelli, Nik Romano, Joey Licata Jr, Beau DeBard, Bobby Grewohl, Jace Meier, Benny Moon and Porter Smith.
The Shoot-Out process is designed to identify talented, young, up and coming drivers from across the United States and Canada with the potential and commitment to achieve a driving career in NASCAR. RSWC is currently accepting resumes through September 20th, 2010. RSWC expects to receive over 700 resumes, as they have in the past, and narrow it down to approximately 40 drivers to test. The Shoot-Out is conducted in October, in three types of race cars, on a California paved short oval track.
Sutton said, “As always … we’re looking for talent. Not money, not a set number of drivers … just young talent that has real potential to go all the way to NASCAR Sprint Cup.”
Day one of the Shoot-Out includes a seminar for parents and drivers, "The Real World Good, Bad & Ugly of Driver Career Development" and a training course for drivers on driving strategies to succeed in the Shoot-Out and crew terminology. Three separate tests for the young drivers include body fat fitness, a written problem solving test and psychological analysis.
Days two and three are on track, with drivers getting five 20-lap sessions in one of three types of race cars, with coaching, to show their talent. A dozen Judges evaluate the drivers on 45 points, with the key areas being coachability, accurate feedback, focus, motivation, training retention, communication skills, personality, aggressiveness, learning rate, confidence and lap times.
The talented drivers selected for the RSWC development program through the Shoot-Out will have a NASCAR career focused training program designed specifically for their age, experience and development stage, then be placed with a top team in the racing series that fits best, including various classes in USAC and NASCAR series.
The career development program consists of 12 veteran driver coaches, 26 classroom training topics, well known trainers and eight organizations fielding 24 race teams, all dedicated to develop drivers to a NASCAR career. The teams are a balance of Open Wheel and Stock Car oval track race teams, with Road Racing added, to develop highly versatile and accomplished winning drivers.
Young winning drivers ages 11 to 20, and their parents, are encouraged to get all the information and answers to common questions from the web-site, then submit their resume in time to be considered. The web-site is www.Winners-Circle-Racing.com
