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The 2001 Rookie Class - Page 2

© Thomas M. Sampson

That is when he really turned the head of Jack Roush, and Crew Chief Matt Chambers called and invited him for a tryout with the Craftsman Trucks. He managed to beat all of the other hopefuls in the tryouts at two different tracks. It is apparent that Roush picked a winner. In the 2000 Craftsman Truck Series, he drove the Excide No. 99 Ford to four victories, 13 top-five, and 17 top-ten finishes out of 24 races.

Roush started Kurt in seven Cup races in 2000 to give him some experience. His best start was 10^th, twice, at Dover and Miami-Homestead. His best finish was 13^th at Charlotte after a 42^nd place start, and that is the only race he finished on the lead lap. But, to his favor, he managed to finish all seven of his Cup races running, His worst finish was 37^th at Martinsville, 104 laps down.

Casey Atwood

Described as "one of the brightest stars in the future of NASCAR," Casey Atwood makes his way into the Cup Series to challenge Hornaday and Busch for the rookie crown. Casey got his start with Go-Karts at the age of 10, then progressed into the Late Model Sportsman division at age 15, winning several races. At 17, he was the youngest driver in the history of the Busch Series, and became the youngest driver to win a pole starting position. With 31 starts in 1999, he scored two wins, five top-five, and nine top-ten finishes. In 2000, he only managed to score only eight top-ten finishes, with no wins or top-fives to his credit. What happened?

Maybe all of the glitz and glamour of being chosen to pilot one of Ray Evernham's Dodges, had an adverse effect on his season? If that is the case, how will he do continuously on the Cup circuit? I could very well be wrong, but I don't see him winning rookie of the year in Winston Cup. At this point, he is an untested commodity, time will tell.

Andy Houston

Andy will be the driver of the No. 96 McDonalds sponsored Ford owned by Cal Wells. The 29-year-old has progressed from Late Model Stock through the Winston Racing and Goody's Dash Series, to the Craftsman Truck Series, where he won two races in 1998. Although he went through a slump in '99, Andy's 2000 season truck stats include two wins, 13 top-fives, and 18 top ten finishes out of 24 races. His average finish for the season was 8^th.

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