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Battle to Become Cintas Top Rookie Rages on Between Irwin and Crawford

12 September 1997

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year Report
September 9, 1997

     BATTLE TO BECOME CINTAS TOP ROOKIE RAGES ON BETWEEN IRWIN AND CRAWFORD


CHARLOTTE, NC - As the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series enters the
stretch run of its third season, a potent pair of first-year
performers are battling for the right to become the 1997 Cintas
Rookie-of-the-Year.

Kenny Irwin, fresh off a brilliant 8th-place finish in his Winston Cup
debut at Richmond, currently leads the Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year
standings with 197 points. His closest competitor and chief rival with
six races remaining this season is Rick Crawford, who carries 187
points heading into the circuit's next stop in Martinsville, VA for
the Hanes 250 on Sept. 27.

Irwin and Crawford entered last Thursday's Virginia Is For Lovers 200
deadlocked at 186 points apiece. It marked the first time all season
that the front-running Irwin had been challenged for the lead. He
quickly reclaimed sole possession of the top spot, finishing first
among all rookie drivers and fifth overall in the Virginia Is For
Lovers 200. For his efforts, Irwin earned 11 points (10 for being
Cintas Rookie-of-the-Race to go with one entry point). Meanwhile,
Crawford lost some ground when he crossed the line 34th out of 36
competitors, picking up the solitary point by virtue of his entry in
the race.

"We had a super truck, and for the first time in a long time, no bad
luck," Irwin said following his best finish in almost three
months. "It wasn't a great night, but a very good one. That's just
what we needed. It seems like it's been forever since we had a good
race. It won't be that long until we do again. We set team goals
before the year. A good points finish and Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year
were among those. This race gets us back on track."

Irwin, the highest-ranking rookie in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
overall points chase at number 10, said the Cintas awards figure
prominently among his short- and long-term goals for 1997. "We have a
big board up in the shop which has our team goals on it for the
season. We have race-by-race goals and season goals. One of our
biggest goals, from way back in the winter when we made the board, is
to win the Cintas rookie awards both for each race and for the
season."

Crawford, who has failed to finish only two races in 1997, does have
experience on the tracks in Phoenix and Bakersfield, both of which
will host Craftsman events in the next month. He wouldn't go so far as
to call this an advantage, but the familiarity can't hurt in his quest
to overtake Irwin as the top first-year driver for 1997. "Winning the
Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year award ranks real high for myself and the
truck owner. He'd like to see us win the Cintas Award and finish high
in the point standings. We've got six races to go and I'm not giving
up by any means."

Crawford was quick to point out that the Cintas "rookies" are
neophytes only in name. "It's a pretty elite group, 22 to 25 rookies,
that have been champions at some level of racing in the United
States. We're not beginners, it's just our final year in the truck
series. The Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year program has helped people become
aware of this."

Irwin, who will replace Ernie Irvan in the Robert Yates #28 Ford on
the Winston Cup circuit next season, echoed the sentiments of many
first-year drivers when addressing the high quality of both the
competition and the Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year program. "Everyone I've
met that is with Cintas has been great. They seem to be really behind
the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and this award."

Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year points are based on each driver's best 12
finishes with bonus points awarded at various times throughout the
season.

The program awards $750 to the highest finishing rookie each week and
$250 to the rookie runner-up in each event. Cintas, America's leading
uniform company, will present a check for $7,500 at season's end to
the Rookie-of-the-Year and $2,500 to the rookie finishing second in
the standings. Last year's winner of the inaugural Cintas
Rookie-of-the-Year Award was Bryan Reffner.

CINTAS ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR POINT STANDINGS

      1. Kenny Irwin        197
      2. Rick Crawford      187
      3. Stacy Compton      172
      4. Tony Raines        168
      5. Boris Said         150
      6. Tony Roper         125
      7. Tammy Jo Kirk      121
      8. Terry Cook          65
      9. Bob Rizzo           59
     10. Lonnie Rush         45             

By Muhleman Marketing