USAC: Youngsters Kahne, Kaeding and Fike snare USAC rookie honors
29 November 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Kasey Kahne of Enumclaw, Wash., Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Calif. and Aaron Fike of Galesburg, Ill. have been named USAC National "Rookies of the Year" for the year 2000. Their combined total age is only 58!
Twenty-year-old Kahne, who sped to the 2000 MCI WorldCom USAC National Midget Car Championship, earned the Oliver Trucking "Rookie of the Year" Award for his 10th-place finish in the Coors Light Silver Bullet Series. He led wire-to-wire to win the 100-miler at DuQuoin, Ill. Labor Day in the Zarounian Racing Team's Brian and Gary's Cars for Less machine and added a third at Knoxville, Iowa and fourths at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Memphis, Tenn. He also earned five Oliver Trucking "Rookie of the Race" Awards during the 14-race campaign.
Twenty-year-old Kaeding, USAC's 1999 Western Sprint Car Champion, earned the True Value "Rookie of the Year" Award for his seventh-place finish in the Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car Series. He scored his first "National" victory in the Pennzoil "Indiana Sprint Week" opener at Twin Cities Raceway Park in North Vernon, Ind. in his Ferguson Enterprises/Kohler Faucets/Alviso Rock Special and added a third at Hartford, Mich. as part of more than a dozen "top-10" finishes.
Eighteen-year-old Fike posted 11 "top-10" finishes on his way to sixth in the MCI WorldCom National Midget Car Series to earn the USAC Motoring Division's Bob Stroud Memorial "Rookie of the Year" Award. He scored thirds at Hartford, Mich. and Bakersfield, Calif. in his RFMS Racing/McGladrey & Pullen/Hoosier/Weld/Alisyn Lubricants/Dawson Oil machine. Aaron's brother A.J. won the 1999 National Midget Car Series "Rookie of the Year" Award and they become the first brothers in USAC history to win back-to-back honors. Two other sets of brothers have claimed USAC "Rookie" honors, Marvin and Jerry Carman in the USAC Sprint Cars in 1975 and 1979 and Kenny and Dean Jacobs in the Sprint Cars in 1986 and 1988. Aaron also punctuated his 2000 season with a third-place and "Rookie of the Race" honors in the Coors Light Silver Bullet race at Irwindale, Calif.
Kahne, Kaeding and Fike will accept their individual "Rookie of the Year" honors January 5 at the 45th USAC National Awards Dinner at the Westin Hotel in downtown Indianapolis, Ind. Tickets for the dinner can still be ordered by calling (317) 247-5151.
Text provided by Dick Jordan
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