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1997 Craftsman Truck Series Cintas Rookie of the Year: Kenny Irwin

11 November 1997

            KENNY IRWIN CAPTURES NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES 
                      CINTAS ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR CROWN

LAS VEGAS, NV - In a year that saw a record number of rookie drivers compete 
on the 26-race NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign, young Kenny Irwin 
withstood late-season challenges to capture the 1997 Cintas Rookie-of-the-
Year Championship.

The talented Irwin, who raced to two victories in his first year on the Truck 
Series and finished 10th in the series' final point standings, was declared 
the 1997 Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year winner following the final race of the 
season, the Carquest 420K at the one-and-a-half-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway 
Sunday. 

Throughout the season, driving on tracks of every sort and size in all parts 
of the country and against many of NASCAR's well-known veterans, Irwin became 
a perennial contender and established himself as a rising star which led to 
the rookie title. Irwin's unique driving abilities and accomplishments this 
season have earned him a position on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series next year 
with the Robert Yates organization. 

In a closely contested rookie battle with Rick Crawford and Stacy Compton in 
the final races of the season, Irwin came out on top with Crawford placing 
second and Compton third. The Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year points system is 
based on a driver's best 14 finishes during the season as well as a system of 
bonus points and points awarded by a special NCTS/Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year 
panel. 

Irwin and his #98 Raybestos Ford Truck Team will be officially honored for 
their Cintas Rookie-of-the-Year achievement at the NASCAR Craftsman Truck 
Series banquet in San Francisco on December 13th when they will be awarded 
the coveted Rookie-of-the-Year trophy and a check for $7,500.

Rick Crawford will receive a post-season check from Cintas for $2,500 for his 
second-place finish in the Rookie-of-the-Year standings. 

In addition to the end-of-the-year monetary awards, Cintas presented checks 
of $750 to the highest-finishing rookie in each of the 26 Craftsman Truck 
Series races throughout the season. 


By Muhleman Marketing