Trueman, Akin awards standings 2005-08-27

Sportsman Drivers Head into Home Stretch in Battle for Jim Trueman & Bob Akin Awards

LEXINGTON, Ohio (August 27, 2005) -- One of the lasting legacies of former sports car racer Jim Trueman is Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series will do battle in this afternoon's EMCO Gears Classic (SPEED Channel, Sunday, 12:00 Noon ET).

Trueman's family continues to operate the legendary, 2.258-mile road course nestled in the rolling countryside between major population centers in Cleveland and Columbus. The name of Jim Trueman carries added significance for many Rolex Series Daytona Prototype drivers, as drivers whose primary source of income has come from somewhere other than racing continue to battle for the first Jim Trueman Award.

Doug Goad--who co-drives the No. 09 Spirit of Daytona Pontiac Crawford with Marc-Antoine Camirand--leads the way in the Jim Trueman Award standings with 2,456 points, holding a 305-point advantage over second-place driver JC France, who shares the No. 59 Brumos Porsche Fabcar with Hurley Haywood. Darius Grala, co-driving the No. 3 PAP-Parts/OZEXE BMW Riley with Shane Lewis, is third with 2,148 points.

Trueman bought the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1981, and he was the driving force behind the rejuvenation and renovation of the track, turning it into a world-renowned circuit. Today, Trueman's daughter, Michelle Trueman Gajoch, owns and operates the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course through TrueSports, Inc.

Sportsman drivers in the GT class are vying for similar Bob Akin Award, where the points race is even tighter. Ohio native Will Nonnamaker, who co-drives the No. 43 HRPworld.com/GOJO/TheRaceSite.com Porsche GT3 Cup for Team Sahlen with his brother Wayne, leads the way with 2,848 points. Marc Bunting, who pilots the No. 65 TRG Pontiac GTO.R with co-driver Andy Lally, is second with 2,744 points.

Like Trueman, Akin was also a passionate racer. He recorded victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1979 and 1986 and addition to numerous other IMSA Camel GTX and GTP victories. He was also the president of the Hudson Wire Company and was a board member and president of Hackley School in Tarrytown, N.Y.

The Jim Trueman and Bob Akin Awards recognize individuals in the Daytona Prototype and Grand Touring (GT) classes who, while not professional drivers, have established their driving credentials in the racing community through their talent and commitment to the sport. The Jim Trueman Award is presented to the top Daytona Prototype sportsman driver, while the Bob Akin Award goes to the top sportsman driver in the GT category.

Drivers earn points based upon their car's finishing position as well as accumulating one point for each per mile driven. Only drivers whose primary income is not racing are eligible for the awards. Below is an updated total of points for both the Jim Trueman and Bob Akin Awards through the CompUSA 200 at The Glen (Round 9 of 14). <pre> Jim Trueman Award- Daytona Prototype Class

Pos        Name                 Points
 1         Doug Goad            2,456
 2         JC France            2,151
 3         Darius Grala         2,148
 4         Tracy Krohn          2,094
 5         Hugo Guenette        1,912
 6         Paul Mears Jr.       1,066
 7         Bob Stallings         962
 8         Justin Pruskowski     661
 9         Jacques Guenette Sr.  496
10         Joe Pruskowski        440

Bob Akin Award- GT Class Pos Name Points 1 Will Nonnamaker 2,848 2 Marc Bunting 2,744 3 Mae Van Wijk 2,625 4 Jim Tafel Jr. 2,120 5 Joe Nonnamaker 2,092 6 Manuel Matos 1,827 7 Steve Johnson 1,787 8 Michael Levitas 1,663 9 John Littlechild 1,270 10 Mike Weinberg 1,082

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