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DOUG AULD NAMED 2005 RECIPIENT OF “OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE SPORT AWARD” BY NORTH AMERICAN SPRINT CAR POLL |
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KNOXVILLE, IOWA (December 2, 2005) - Doug Auld of Sprint Car & Midget magazine has been named the recipient of the “Outstanding Contribution to the Sport Award” by all three voting panels of the North American Sprint Car Poll. According to poll founder and National Sprint Car Museum director Tom Schmeh, “The North American Sprint Car Poll post-season awards program honors the current achievers in the sport of sprint car racing, while the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction awards program honors the greatest achievers in the sport. And the poll’s Outstanding Contribution Award is our highest honor for current achievers, as it is voted on by industry insiders from the 360-, 410-cubic-inch, and non-winged sprint car classes. Doug truly has had a positive impact upon the whole of our sport through his leadership role at Sprint Car & Midget magazine!”
Past recipients of the North American Sprint Car Poll’s “Outstanding
Contribution to the Sport Award” are as follows:
the late Hank Gentzler,
Tony Stewart, Emmett Hahn, Allan Holland, Dave Argabright, Ron Shuman, the late
Kevin Gobrecht, Jack Hewitt, Jack Miller, Brad Doty, Art & Carol Malies,
Dave Bowman, Ralph Capitani, Ted Johnson, Mark Kuchan, Steve Kinser, the late
Don Martin, Steve Beitler, Lee Brewer, Mark Kinser, Frank Lewis, Earl Baltes,
Casey & Beverly Luna, Elayne Hoff, Jean Lynch, the late J.W. Hunt, Bert
Emick.
Doug Auld, a part-time sprint car racer himself, received his first
“Media Member of the Year” award in 2000 from the winged 360 c.i. sprint car
voting panel. Since then, he earned
the honor again in 2002 (410 class) and ‘03 (360 and 410 classes).
This year’s honorees are Allan Holland of www.hoseheads.com (360),
Pat Sullivan of Sprint Car & Midget (Non-Winged) and Chris
Dolack of DIRT MotorSports/World of Outlaws (410).
Kevin Swindell of Germantown, Tennessee, made history this year by
claiming both the 360- and 410-cubic-inch sprint car “Rookie of the Year”
awards. No driver has accomplished
that feat since the award program was split in 2000 into the three main classes.
In addition, Brady Short of Bedford, Indiana, earned the 2005 “Rookie
of the Year” award from the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll.
Swindell won five times in 2005 with the United Sprint Car Series (USCS),
while Short garnered a win at the Bloomington Speedway in Indiana.
Steve Kinser won the “Driver of the Year” honors for a record
fourteenth time since the poll was initiated in 1985.
He also earned the “Team of the Year” honors for successfully
managing both his own and his son Kraig’s cars on the tough World of Outlaws (WoO)
national tour. 2005 Knoxville Nationals
champion Kraig Kinser claimed the “Wild Card Award” in the 410 c.i.
division for his exciting sprint car performances.
Gary Wright, the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) champion, won his
third straight “Driver of the Year” title in the 360 c.i. division, while
United States Auto Club (USAC) titlist Levi Jones won his first Non-Winged
“Driver of the Year” award. The
other “Wild Card Award” winners were Damion Gardner (Non-Winged) and Danny
Martin, Jr. (360). The other
“Team of the Year” recipients are Scott Benic (Non-Winged) and Gary Wright
(360).
Ralph Capitani of Knoxville Raceway took his ninth “Promoter of the
Year” honors in the 410 class. “Cappy”
has been named the most influential leader in sprint car racing for the past two
years according to special pre-season voting by all three panels.
The other “Promoter of the Year” award winners are Emmett Hahn of
Sprint Bandits (Non-Winged) and Glenn Styres of Ohsweken Speedway in Ontario,
Canada (360). Interestingly, Hahn
has captured the same award three times in the 360 category for his work with
the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS).
The “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” honors for 2005 were earned by
Brian & Jeannie Butler of ButlerBuilt Seats (410), Chuck Merrill of Maxim
Chassis (410), J.V. Brotherton of Brodix Cylinder Heads (360), and Keith Kunz of
Bullet Chassis (Non-Winged). All
but Kunz are former builder/manufacturer award recipients:
Merrill (five times previously), Brotherton (four times), and Butler’s
(three). However, Keith Kunz was
awarded the 2000 “Team of the Year” honors in the Non-Winged division. The North American Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa. All awards will be distributed in the spring of 2006 at tracks throughout North America. |
