USAR: Excitement Builds for the Alan Kulwicki Memorial/Hooters 200
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
September 6, 2001Hooters ProCup Series Prepares for History-Making Five Race Championship Series
Fayetteville, GA - In just 12 days stock car racing will never be the same again. United Speed Alliance Racing will bring the Hooters ProCup Series to a new era when the first of five Four Champions Championship Series races takes place at Chicago Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 15th.
The playoff-type series will bring 50 of the best short track drivers from across the country together for five races to determine the 2001 USAR Hooters ProCup Series National Champion. This format was designed by USAR to offer a driver a chance for winning a championship while keeping travel costs down to a minimum.
"When we created this format, it was done with the racers in mind," said USAR Director of Series Development Tony Cox. "We wanted a way to determine a national champion without forcing a driver to travel all across the country. This format allowed a driver to compete in their respective region of the country during the regular season with limited travel."
USAR wanted to create a format that rewards performance during the regular season and decided to award points based on how a driver finishes in their respective division's regular-season standings. The champion from each division will be given a 25-point bonus as their reward for winning the regular season.
This past weekend Bobby Gill won the Southern Division championship and will enter the Championship Series with 155 points for finishing first plus the 25-point bonus for winning the regular season crown. This will give him 180 points entering the first race of the Championship Series. Steven Christian finished second in the final standings and will be awarded 140 points for his second-place showing in the regular season. Drivers finishing 3rd-25th in the regular season standings will be awarded entry points based on how they finished the regular season standings.
The same format as above will be awarded to the Northern Division drivers after their final regular season race of the year at Chemung Speedrome this Saturday night.
"The points awarded for their regular season finish will be given in the same format as points awarded for finishing one race," added Cox. The format is rewarding the division champions for their performance during the regular season, but at the same time it makes other drivers eligible for the $250,000 first place prize."
The total points fund and posted awards for the Four Champions Championship Series will top 1 million dollars for the first time in the history of the short track touring series.
"We feel the format is the most economical and makes the most sense for our teams and their budgets," said USAR President Gene Cox. "A driver has to compete in a minimum of any two races to win point fund money and with the points structured the way they are we should have a tight battle all the way to USA International Speedway on Thanksgiving weekend."
The following scenario has been created to better explain the point structure and how a driver can possibly win the National Championship. The following is the entry points the top-25 drivers from the Southern Division will be given heading into the Alan Kulwicki Memorial/Hooters 200. The top-25 drivers from the Northern Division will be awarded points in the same format, thus you will have Bobby Gill and the Northern Division champion tied when they arrive at Chicago Motor Speedway.
Text provided by Tim Southers
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