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The 'USAR Hooter Pro Cup' is a stock car auto racing series in the United States.

Contents

Series information

Current

History

Four Champions Championship Series

Tracks

Notable drivers

Current drivers

Four Champions Playoff Champions

Series Champions

Rookies of the Year

Other notable alumni

External links

Series information

Current

The series is sanctioned by the United Speed Alliance Racing (USAR). The series is divided into Sears Auto CenterNorthern division and the Aarons Southern division. The top drivers from each division race in a five race "Championship Series." All thirty races in 2006 are televised on the SPEED Channel, Altitude Sports, CSN West, CL Midwest, and America One.

History

The series was started by Hooters owner Robert Brooks. Brooks created the series to honor the memories of four people who died in an April 1 1993 airplane crash: Brooks' son Mark Brooks, reigning NASCAR champion Alan Kulwicki, Dan Duncan, and pilot Charlie Campbell. [1]
The series began as a late model series. Brooks decided to drop the late model series in favor of the Pro Cup series at the September 1997 race at the Milwaukee Mile. Brooks wanted to move to steel-bodied racecars. There were eleven races in the first "real season" in 1997. [2] The series was expanded to twenty races in 1998.

Four Champions Championship Series

The series was split into Northern and Southern divisions in 2001, and set precedence with the first stock car racing playoff system, known as the Four Champions. The playoff series was named in memory of the four victims of the Hooters plane crash in 1993. It features the top 30 in regular season points of both Northern and Southern Divisions competing for the series championship. The playoff series had five races from 2001 until 2005 (but in 2001 it was four races because of the September 11 terrorist attacks), and six races in 2006.
For 2006, the top 15 in each division will automatically qualify.
At the end of the season, each of the top 30 teams (provided they compete in at least half of the series' regular season in their division) is given entry points based on the number of points one competitor can earn for finishing in that respective position in a race.
Winners of the respective division are awarded a 25-point bonus for the playoff and a cash bonus as regular season champions.
A ten-point bonus is awarded for every driver who attempts to qualify at every race.
Each driver will now collect points for each race they participate in during the Championship Series, adding to their entry points collected from their regular season finish.
A driver must race three of the six races to qualify for postseason bonus prizes, and cash bonuses are available for winning four, five, or all six postseason races. In 2003, Shane Huffman won a bonus for winning three of the five races.
It was the success of this series which led to NASCAR devising its own playoff system in 2004.

Tracks

For the 2006 schedule click here

★ Bristol Motor Speedway

★ Concord Motorsport Park

★ Hickory Motor Speedway

★ Indianapolis Raceway Park

★ Iowa Speedway

★ Jennerstown Speedway

★ Kil-Kare Speedway

★ Lake Erie Speedway

★ Lonesome Pine Raceway

★ Madison International Speedway

★ Mansfield Motorsports Speedway

★ Montgomery Speedway

★ Motor Mile Speedway

★ Myrtle Beach Speedway

★ Peach State Speedway

★ Salem Speedway

★ Shenandoah Speedway

★ South Georgia Motorsports Park

★ South Boston Speedway

★ Southern National Speedway

★ USA International Speedway

Notable drivers

Current drivers

The following are current regular drivers: [3]

★ Sam Fullone

★ Johnny Rumley

★ Lonnie Rush Jr.

★ Gary St. Amant

★ Jay Fogleman

★ Shelby Howard

★ Mike Laughlin Jr.

★ Billy Bigley Jr.

★ Clay Rogers

★ A. J. Fike

★ Shane Huffman

★ Mike Garvey

★ Carl Long

★ Matt Crafton

★ Bobby Gill

★ Richard Boswell

★ Buckshot Jones

★ Mike Herman Jr.

Four Champions Playoff Champions

★ 2006 Clay Rogers

★ 2005 Benny Gordon

★ 2004 Clay Rogers

★ 2003 Shane Huffman

★ 2002 Jason Sarvis

★ 2001 Bobby Gill

Series Champions

★ 2000 Bobby Gill

★ 1999 Bobby Gill

★ 1998 Jeff Agnew

★ 1997 Mario Gosselin
NOTE: Since 2001, the winner has been determined by a playoff system.

Rookies of the Year

★ 2007 Richard Boswell

★ 2006 Derek Kale

★ 2005 Woody Howard

★ 2004 Matt Carter

★ 2003 Benny Gordon

★ 2002 Brian Ross

★ 2001 Toby Robertson

★ 2000 Brian Vickers

★ 1999 Steven Christian

★ 1998 Jeff Agnew

★ 1997 Brad May

Other notable alumni

★ Chad Chaffin

★ Matt Kenseth

★ Justin Labonte

★ Danny O'Quinn

★ Scott Wimmer

★ Jon Wood

★ Brian Vickers

External links

★ Official website

★ USARfans.com - media/fan site

★ List of winners from 1997 to 2005

★ USAR history, written in 1999 and 2002, accessed June 2006