Six Spots to be Awarded in Driver Talent Search

SACRAMENTO, California - The national talent search for the driver development program conducted by Ron Sutton's Winner's Circle launches today. Supporting sponsors, K&N Filters, Lucas Oil & Sunoco Racing Fuels will be awarding six spots in the 2008 Shoot-Out to young, talented drivers from various forms of youth motorsports.

Ron Sutton's Winner's Circle (RSWC) is an established talent scout and development program, providing long term, comprehensive racing and career development for up and coming drivers focused on NASCAR careers. RSWC drivers are raced, coached, groomed, trained and molded, within a professional racing environment, into what top pro teams look for when hiring drivers.

Many Midget and Sprint Car racers today, honed their driving skills driving something smaller. K&N Filters, Lucas Oil & Sunoco Racing Fuels have stepped up to award positions in the Shoot-Out to one participant from each of the following six series: IKF International Karting Federation, Snap-on Stars of Karting presented by IndyCar Series, Superkarts! USA, Legends/Dwarf Car Racing, Quarter Midget Racing and Micro-Sprint/TQ/Dirt Kart Racing. The Shoot-Out application process is open to all drivers 11 to 19 years of age, with race winning backgrounds.

RSWC has seen great drivers come into USAC Focus Midget, Midget and Sprint Car competition from youth series including the likes of Ryan Kaplan, Bobby Grewohl, Benny Moon, Brendan Langlois, Jace Meier, Daniel Adler, Beau DeBard, Brennan Newberry and Jeff Oleen.

After coming out of karts, as many young drivers do, Grewohl won eight out of eight SCCA Formula Ford events scoring six pole positions and the Western States Championship along the way. In USAC Ford Focus Midgets, Grewohl won several poles and podium results before breaking the unofficial track record at the Kentucky Speedway in an Indy Pro Series Car earning him a spot in the Target Chip Ganassi development program. Continuing his winning ways, Grewohl has scored poles, trophy dash and main event wins in USAC Midgets and NASCAR Late Model stock cars.

Kaplan won in Focus Midgets, Midgets and Sprint Cars and is now getting close to winning in NASCAR Late Model Stock Cars. After their Focus Midget success, both Moon and Meier moved to the NASCAR Late Model series winning poles, trophy dashes and main events on their career path to NASCAR.

Langlois, Newberry and Oleen continue to impress in the USAC Ford Focus Midget series as they all have scored strong results and wins. These drivers are looking to follow in the foot steps of Jace Meier and Benny Moon.

After running dirt Midget and Sprint Cars in the Midwest, Adler stepped into the USAC Ford Focus Midget pavement series with the help of RSWC. Since being in the program, Adler has claimed pole positions, trophy dash wins and main event victories as he looks to take a step towards a career.

The Shoot-Out process is designed to identify talented, young, up and coming drivers from across the United States and Canada with the talent, potential and commitment to achieve a driving career in NASCAR. RSWC is currently accepting resumes through October 15th, 2008. RSWC expects to receive over 600 resumes, as they have in the past, and narrow it down to approximately 30 to 40 drivers to test. The Shoot-Out is conducted over two 3-day weekends in early November, in identical race cars, on an asphalt oval track in Northern California.

Sutton has said, ̢