Salem, IN (November 12, 2007) – Rookie drivers had good 2007 seasons in both the Howe CRA Sportsman Series and in the CRA Street Stocks. Goshen, Indiana native Charlie Hanna finished third in overall points with the Howe CRA Sportsman Series to claim that divisions 2007 Rookie Of The Year honors. If not for a couple of early blown motors, Hanna would have likely challenged Billy Hutson for the 2007 series Championship. Hanna‘s first blown motor came in one of the 2007 season opener’s heat races at Winchester Speedway, not allowing Hanna to even start that feature event. Hanna would come back and finish eighth in the next event at Baer Field Speedway, but would suffer another blown motor in the next series event again at Winchester Speedway.

Hanna’s luck would quickly change starting with the series fourth event of the season were he would finish third at Anderson Speedway. Hanna then returned to Winchester and shook off the bad luck that hampered him at the series first two events at that track to finish second and would finish second again at the series next event at Shady Bowl Speedway. Hanna picked up his first series event in the series next event at Winchester, then would return to Baer Field Speedway for another second place finish. Hanna’s second win of the season would come on Labor Day at Winchester, he would finish fifth at the next series event also at Baer Field Speedway then would have to fight back from an early spin to get a 16^th place finish at ORP. Hanna’s season would end on a high note with his third series victory in the season championship event at Winchester Speedway.

Rookie’s Tim Greene and Gabe Cerny would also have good seasons in 2007 finishing fourth and fifth in final season points as well as rookie’s Eric Barkus finishing in eighth and David Fretz in tenth in final points. Greene would have seven top ten finishes and four top five finishes including a season high finish of third in the Labor Day event at Winchester Speedway. Cerny would get eight top ten finishes and four top five finishes including his first series victory at the Circle Track Nationals at O.R.P. on September 22^nd.

Dale, Indiana native Phil Evans finished third in CRA Street Stock final driver points to win that division’s 2007 Rookie Of The Year honors, beating out Larry Matillo by only five points. Evans 2007 season in the very competitive CRA Street Stock division started out with an eighth place finish in the season opening event at Winchester Speedway. He would follow that up with a 16^th place finish at Winchester and a 12^th place finish at Baer Field Speedway were he lead the first 20 laps of that event. He finished 16^th at Winchester at the next series event then got a strong sixth place finish at the series first event of the season at Anderson Speedway.

Evans would continue his streak of top ten finishes with an eighth place finish at Winchester Speedway in July and another sixth place finish in the Bud Light 150 at Anderson Speedway after leading from lap 80 through 143. Evans would get his season high finish of third at the next series event at Baer Field Speedway were he lead again from lap 37 to 48 before a late pass by winner Steve Christman and second place Bobby Murany in the 50 lap event. Bad luck would hit Evans for the next two series events with finishes of 25^th and 42^nd, he would rebound and get 11^th place finishes in the series final two events of 2007.

Larry Matillo had a very successful rookie season, also his first races on asphalt. Matillo would finish fourth in series driver points with seven top ten finishes with two top five finishes with a season high finish of third in May at Winchester Speedway. Jacob Owens finished in fifth place in driver points, six points behind Matillo, despite missing the ORP event, while winning the Street Stock Championship at Anderson Speedway. Owens finished the season with eight top ten finishes with four top five finishes including a victory in the season championship event on October 13^th at Winchester Speedway and was second in CRA Street Stocks owner pointers.

16-year-old Winston Wood had a good rookie season with the CRA Street Stocks which was his first full season racing on asphalt after racing dirt early in his young career. Wood would get four top ten finishes including a tenth place finish in the season opener at Winchester Speedway. Wood would get one top five finish, which was a third place finish at Winchester Speedway on July 22^nd. Another rookie to mention would be 17 year old Frank Kimmel II who got his first ever victory in a Street Stock with the CRA Super Series on May 6^th at Winchester Speedway in his only event with the series this past season, he competed full-time in the street stocks at Salem Speedway.