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New Kid on the Block Ready for
2004 Miller Lite Rookie Battle on USAR
Hooters ProCup Series
Corryton, TN - 1/29/04 - When the green flag waves for the start of the
2004 United Speed Alliance Racing (USAR) sanctioned Hooters ProCup Series a new
team will roar into the picture and challenge for the Miller Lite sponsored
Rookie of the Year Award on the prestigious stock car racing tour. Barry Clapp
of Corryton, TN will venture down a new path as he campaigns for the top
freshman honors driving for MRI Motorsports of the Knoxville, TN area. Clapp
will be led into his new role as driver of the MRI Motorsports team effort by
team owner and long-time stock car advocate David "Bear" Miller from
Eastern Tennessee. Clapp's baptism into the nationally sanctioned events will
rely heavily on the able guidance of Miller who possesses more than three
decades experience in the national stock car short track racing facet of the
sport.
"This is going to be a real challenge, but it is one which I am fully
confident in," says Clapp with unbridled enthusiasm. "It's a new
endeavor for me going out on the road and competing head-to-head with some of
the nation's toughest stock car competitors and I am very excited and anxious to
get the season underway."
Although traveling the highways of America and competing in front of millions of
television viewers on the Hooters ProCup Series offers new challenges for Clapp
and the MRI Motorsports team, it's a task which both the team driver and owner
feel to be a calculated and well planned move. The young talent from Tennessee
has cut his teeth on a pair of the Volunteer State's most challenging short
tracks during his racing career with success in Street Stock competition at
Knoxville's lightning fast Atomic Speedway while also learning the ropes at one
of the most storied tracks in the state at Maryville, TN's Smoky Mountain
Speedway.
"David brings a lot to the table with his leadership qualities and the
years of experience he offers the team. He's put his heart and soul into this
effort and I'm extremely grateful for him choosing me to drive his cars and
steer this team on the 2004 Hooters tour," Clapp comments. "There's a
huge learning curve, but with the talent that David has assembled on the team
and the first-class equipment behind our effort I have a lot of confidence going
into the start of the season."
The new season offers 30 sanctioned events, of which the series is divided into
13 Southern Division and 12 Northern Division point's races, plus 5 Championship
Series events to conclude the 2004 season. Each of the Hooters ProCup Series
events will be aired on SPEED Channel in a two-hour broadcasts each Thursday
night at 8:00 pm (Eastern) with an encore broadcasts each Friday at noon
(Eastern). The team's campaign for the leading rookie award and successful
experiences on the Hooters ProCup Series will receive a variety of backing
throughout the season according to Miller and Clapp. In order to qualify for the
top freshman award, the team will compete in each of the Southern Division
events along with the five Championship Series events.
Although not required to do so, MRI Motorsports may also compete in select
Northern Division events based on sponsor commitments, team scheduling and
travel factors.
"SPEED Channel has again partnered with the Hooters ProCup Series to
broadcast races in 2004," points out Miller who has been busy coordinating
marketing partnership arrangements for the coming race season. "It's a
great television package which will put the series and our team in front of
millions of viewers on Thursday nights in prime time hours during each of the
two-hour broadcasts. That's certainly a wonderful exposure opportunity for our
marketing partners and the series overall and is a major factor in our decision
to move forward with our plans to compete on the Hooters Series this year."
For complete series and scheduling information on the Hooters ProCup Series,
visit the tour's official web site on the internet at www.usarprocup.com.
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