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NASCAR AUTOZONE NORTHWEST SERIES
Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Date: 03/31/2004
 DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- The competition for this year’s Auto Meter Rookie of the Year Award in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series is shaping up to be a tough one. A talented group of up-and-coming drivers from across the region has entered into the fray for one of NASCAR’s most prestigious year-end awards.
The top eligible rookie on the series will collect a $2,000 bonus along with a package of Auto Meter products (includes: 1-4494 Tachometer, 1-4461 electric full sweep fuel pressure gauge, 1-4453 electric full sweep oil pressure gauge, 1-4456 electric full sweep oil temperature gauge and an 1-4455 electric full sweep water temperature gauge) valued at more than $1,000.
The Auto Meter Rookie of the Year Award will be determined by a rookie competition point system. At each event, the highest-finishing eligible rookie receives 10 points, the second-highest rookie receives nine points, the third highest receives eight points, and so on. At the end of the season, the eligible rookie with the highest point total in the competition wins the award.
Past winners of this award include Tobey Butler, Hershel McGriff Jr., Joe Benedetti, John Bender and last year’s Northwest Series championship runner-up, Jason Jefferson.
Here’s a look at the 2004 Northwest Series rookie contenders...
- Jeff Barkshire, Auburn, Wash. – A mechanical engineering student at Central Washington University, Barkshire plans a run at the 2004 Auto Meter Rookie of the Year Award after a career in Quarter Midgets, 125 cc Shifter Karts, Legends Cars and Late Models. Barkshire was a four-time regional champion in Quarter Midgets and has placed in the top four at national events. Barkshire, 22, has been racing in these various divisions since 1991.
- Travis Bennett, Ellensburg, Wash. – Bennett, 24, enters the competition with a notable edge: he’s now driving for the same exact No. 33 Chevrolet team that propelled Kevin Hamlin to consecutive series championships in 2001-02. Hamlin resigned as the team’s driver in December and Bennett, who has competed on a very limited basis in the Northwest Series during the 2002-03 seasons, was tabbed as the team’s next driver. Bennett’s background includes Street Stock and Late Model competition at several area tracks including Yakima (Wash.) Speedway, Tri-City Raceway in West Richland, Wash., Wenatchee Valley’s Super Oval in East Wenatchee, Wash. and Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash.
- James McVey, Port Orchard, Wash. – Thirty-year-old James McVey joins the Northwest Series from Evergreen Speedway, where he’s raced since 2000. McVey’s racing career began with Motocross bikes and he’s progressed through the ranks at several area tracks including Yakima Speedway and Evergreen.
- John Tibbitts, Bellingham, Wash. – Tibbitts, like Barkshire, is another graduate of the region’s Quarter Midget and Karting ranks. Tibbitts began racing dirt bikes and Quarter Midgets at the age of five and has earned some notable awards over the years. Tibbitts was a two-time Senior Driver of the Year in Quarter Midgets and won championships in eight different classes of Go Karts. He’s added Late Model racing experience at Wenatchee and Yakima. Tibbitts attends Washington State University.
- Bryan Wiener, Edgewood, Wash. – Wiener rounds out the rookie class of 2004 with a resume that includes Legends Cars and Late Model competition. Since 1993, Wiener has raced at Yakima, Evergreen, Wenatchee, and many other tracks in the Pacific Northwest. He captured a Pro Division Legends championship in 1999.
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