DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Raybestos, the official brakes of NASCAR, will sponsor rookie-of-the-year awards in the NASCAR Grand National Division, which includes the Busch North Series and the Winston West Series. Posted awards in this division include $500 to the highest finishing eligible rookie in each race, and a $12,500 contribution to the year-end point fund.
"Raybestos Brakes has been a tremendous marketing partner of NASCAR over the years," said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s director of series marketing. "Now, their commitment to motorsports is even greater. As we watch this years’ crop of rookies develop their skills in the Grand National Division, fans everywhere can thank Raybestos Brakes for rewarding the accomplishments of these future stars."
Raybestos Brakes were first associated with auto racing in 1957 and its NASCAR affiliation began in the late 1980’s. Raybestos has sponsored some of the most exciting and competitive venues in motorsports, including the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the Winston West Series, the NASCAR Busch Series, the Busch North Series, the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series presented by Dodge and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Raybestos is also the title sponsor of the Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series.
"Rookies are the future of NASCAR," said Robert Hogeboom, director of motorsports for Dana Brake and Chassis-Raybestos. "We support that future and want to give them the recognition that they deserve."
Ryan Moore, the son of 1995 Busch North Series champion Kelly Moore, will enter the Busch North Series in 2003 and be one of the challengers for the Raybestos rookie-of-the-year award. Ricky Craven and Andy Santerre were past Raybestos rookie-of-the-year winners in their early Busch North Series careers.
On the West Coast – Scott Lynch, C.T. Hellmund, Clint Vasholtz, Gene Woods, Takuma Koga, Carl Harr, Daryl Harr, David Eshleman and Scott Schmidt are contending for the prestigious award this season. The winner will join some esteemed company – Derrike Cope, Chad Little, Bill Sedgwick and Rick Carelli were some of the previous winners of the Winston West Series’ Raybestos rookie-of-the-year award.
