Pendleton, Ind. (October 15, 2003) - Taking the green flag at Salem Speedway on October 4 in the Pep Boys 300 presented by Greased Lightning Orange Blast earned the $50,000 Rookie Championship for Georgia phenom Reed Sorenson. The 17-year-old Sorenson then proceeded to finish in the third position, scoring his second consecutive podium finish.

"The $50,000 is nice. We needed that pretty bad," said Reed Sorenson. "We're still in a pretty good points battle for third place so there is some pressure. Robbie Pyle is pretty close. The team has the feeling that we won Rookie of The Year so we're all pretty happy."

Sorenson has posted seven top-five finishes, with only a pair offinishes outside the top 10. Piloting the ACDelco Chevrolet for Michigan-based Automotive Promotions Inc., Sorenson has produced five podium finishes in 2003, with a best of second at Illiana Motor Speedway in the CITGO/MDA 250 presented by Jani-King in September.

Travis Kittleson of Merritt Island, Fla., continues to rank second in the rookie standings, producing five top-five finishes, with a season-best runner-up performance at Concord Motorsport Park in April. Driving the Bob Steele Chevrolet, the Merritt Island, Fla., racer
also grabbed third-place honors at Toledo Speedway, fourth at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway and fifth at USA International Speedway in the Jani-King 200.

Davin Scites of West Virginia remains third in the rookie standings after placing 16th at Salem. The driver of the Wayne Lumber & Mulch/Scrap Vinyl Chevrolet scored the biggest victory of his career in April, winning the BFGoodrich Tires 250 at Concord
Motorsport Park, passing series veteran Mike Garvey on the final lap of the event.

Illinois competitor Boris Jurkovic is fourth in the point standings, finishing 21st in the Pep Boys 300 presented by Greased Lightning Orange Blast. Jurkovic recorded a best finish of his career at Indianapolis Raceway Park in June, crossing the line in fourth spot. Driving the Reliable Recovery Chevrolet, Jurkovic has produced one top-five finish and two top-10s.

Ohio's Kris Stump is fifth in the freshman standings, after being listed 20th at the .54-mile Salem Speedway oval. With sponsorship backing from McDonald's and Noah Yoder Ford, Stump has posted a best finish of ninth at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

The 17th event of the 2003 ASA Racing Series is set for Sunday, October 19 at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tenn. The BFGoodrich Traction T/A Tires 300 presented by Greased Lightning Orange Blast and Jani-King takes the green flag at
3:00 p.m., (Local) and will be telecast live on SPEED Channel.



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