Knoxville, TN Rookie Contender Barry Clapp to Compete on Hooters Southern Division
(Corryton, TN – January 27, 2004) 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.
(Corryton, TN – January 27, 2004) 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.
