Concord, N.C. (December 17, 2010) – Clay Rogers headlined a group of drivers honored Wednesday night at the 2010 USARacing Pro Cup Series Awards Banquet.
The event was held at the Vintage Motor Club in Concord, N.C. and 150 guests toasted the accomplishments of series champion Rogers, who collected his fourth Pro Cup Series championship, tying him with Bobby Gill for most series titles. The Mooresville, N.C. native racked up seven wins, seven poles and 13 top-10 finishes in 14 starts. He finished 49 points ahead of second-place Caleb Holman.
After accepting his trophy, Rogers thanked each member of his team for their dedication and hard work then complimented his fellow competitors and owners of the series.
“I’m proud of everyone in this room tonight for their dedication to this series,” Rogers said. “I noticed on the slideshow how much our little girl has grown up this season and I want to thank the owners of this series for creating an environment when we can bring her to the racetrack. You just don’t have that in other series.
“I consider Bobby Gill to be one of the greatest short track drivers maybe ever [smiles]. He’s got four championships and to be tied with him is pretty special. It’s very special, especially coming in and doing it with a new team, our first year with a new team. A lot of learning each other, and the whole year has been a building process really. We’ve had a lot of fun this year. We won half the races in the series which is a pretty impressive number I think. I’m proud to be a part of this team. I’m glad that they looked towards me when they were looking for someone to come drive it. I was the fortunate one that got the call.”
Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Logan Ruffin was recognized for his outstanding debut season in the series. Ruffin, a 16-year old native of Memphis, Tenn., placed fifth in the series championship standings and posted five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 14 starts. While onstage Ruffin presented members of his team with plaques for their support.
“It’s an honor to be Raybestos Rookie of the Year,” Ruffin said. “I want to thank Steve Turner and all the guys at Turner Motorsports for their support. When we started this season we wanted get seat time, win rookie of the year and finish top-five in points and we were fortunate enough to do all of that.”
Ryan Heavner earned USARacing Pro Cup Series Humantarian of the Year for his charitable efforts to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society. The Lincolnton, N.C. native made history this season by becoming the youngest driver to compete in the Pro Cup Series and Heavner did a respectable job, scoring one top-five and six top-10 finishes in 14 starts.
Rogers’ crew chief Jamie Mosley earned Crew Chief of the Year honors. Team owner David “Buggy” Pletcher, who finished eighth in the series owner standings, with driver Stephen Nasse, won the use of a Lonestar branded road tractor for the 2011 racing season. Teams who competed in 80 percent of the races in 2010 will be eligible to win the use of the truck and a blind draw will determine the winning team. International Truck and Engine Corporation / Navistar is the Official Truck of the Pro Cup Series.
The USAR Pro Cup Series, formerly Hooters Pro Cup, is owned by Interstate Investment Group (IIG) and is based in Concord, N.C. For more information on USARacing, visit www.usarprocup.com.
- USAR Pro Cup Series Press Release
