JERRY ROBERTSON CLINCHES NASCAR DODGE WEEKLY SERIES NORTHWEST REGION CHAMPIONSHIP

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Jerry Robertson , of Arvada, Colo., closed out his 2004 campaign with a big come-from-behind win at Colorado National Speedway  Sept. 18, to clinch his second consecutive championship, and third overall, in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Northwest Region.

Robertson – who had also won a previous regional championship in 2000 – scored 10 wins, 15 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes in 18 late model events on the 3/8-mile oval, located just north of Denver . His Competition Performance Index of .8234 was highest in the region. The CPI is the statistical formula used to determine the regional championships.

The 42-year-old competitor, who stands to collect up to $45,000 in post-season awards at NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series awards banquet in Nashville on Oct. 30, is one of two regional champions to repeat in 2004. Mark Wertz , from Langley Speedway in Hampton , Va. , has also won a second consecutive regional title in NASCAR's East Coast Region.

Robertson  expressed relief after hearing he had won a third regional title. “To win it after all that I've been through all year is so relieving,” Robertson said of the “ups and downs” he experienced this season. “It's so exciting.”

" This year's is the sweetest of the three regional championships . We didn't think we were going to win it,” Robertson said. “We didn't think we even had a shot until last week. Then all of a sudden everything came together and we won it. It's very emotional and very exciting. After Saturday, we thought we had won it, but we were not sure.”

Robertson competed in the same car this year that carried him to his 2003 championship. It's a car that was originally built in 1992, but that he has modified and updated. “I think there are features on the old cars that the new cars don't have,” he explained. “I kind of rework the old cars and I put the front geometry where I want it. I kind of redo the cars and powder coat them and they look brand new when I get done with them.”

Robertson began his racing career as a high school senior when the Colorado track had a dirt surface. He continued racing dirt late model stock cars while living in Charlotte during the 1980s. Robertson returned to Colorado in 1989 and not long after CNS was converted to a paved surface, he also made the transition. The change met with success, as he won the championship and the rookie title in the modified division. Robertson got a glimpse of racing on a national level, competing in limited events in the NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series during the late 1990s. However, he opted to return to competition in the late model division at CNS in 2000, where he won the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series track championship and the regional title.

Northwest Region Leaders …