August 7, 2005
Indianapolis, IN - Sunday, August 7 th Chris Paulsen, President and Owner of C&R Racing, Inc., announced the 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard True Grit winner. The recipient is Jimmy Fennig, Crew Chief of the Kurt Bush, No.97 Sharpie/IRWIN Ford Taurus team.
The award, presented each year at the Indianapolis 500 and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, acknowledges dedicated crew chiefs and mechanics in the motorsport industry. Established by Chris Paulsen, the combined $15000 total cash award exemplifies outstanding achievement in racing and honors a fellow colleague.
"I've known Jimmy since my involvement with NASCAR, about 13 yrs now. Jimmy definitely fits the criteria for the True Grit award. He is a first-rate, hard racer from the dirt tracks of Wisconsin and has worked his way to the top in NASCAR's premier series winning races and a championship. He is the ideal crew chief/race mechanic to honor with this award," states Chris Paulsen.
Jimmy's career dates back to the dirt tracks of Wisconsin in 1970, where he spent many years with the Midwestern Dirt and Asphalt Series before taking his first Winston Cup Series job in 1984 with DiGard Racing. In 1985, Jimmy moved to the American Speed Association Series to become crew chief for future Roush Racing-superstar Mark Martin. At the end of 1986, Fennig returned to the Winston Cup Series to work with Bobby Allison and Stavola Brothers Racing. As crew chief with Allison, Fennig won two Winston Cup races, including a victory in Allison's final Daytona 500 in 1998. The next year Fennig worked with Dick Trickle, resulting in a Rookie of the Year title.
In October of 1996, Jack Roush gave Fennig the opportunity to reunite with Mark Martin. In 1997, Martin recorded four wins, 16 top-fives, 24 top-10s and three poles and finished third in the championship standings with Fennig as crew chief. The following season they finished runner-ups in the point standings with seven victories together; the most both had won in a single season. Fennig continued his winning ways in 1999 with two victories and one pole, and a third place finish in the point standings. In 2000, the Martin-Fennig duo visited victory lane once and finished eighth in points, while in 2001, they earned two Bud Pole awards.
For the 2002 season, Fennig was paired with young driver Kurt Busch. Under the veteran's guidance and just their sixth race together Busch found victory lane in NASCAR's premier series for the first time at Bristol Motor Speedway. They finished their first season with four wins, 12 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes and capped the season with a pole and victory at the season finale in Homestead; finishing third in the point standings. Their second year together produced another four wins, nine top-5 and 14 top-10 finishes and they placed 11 th in the championship standings.
In just their third season together Fennig picked up his first Cup title by leading Busch to the top of the standings following the inaugural "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup," where together they out-dueled nine of NASCAR's best in the seasons' final 10 "Chase" races. Their streak included one victory and eight finishes of sixth-place or better during the "Chase", three trips to victory lane, one pole, 10 top-1- and 21 top-10 finishes, 746 laps led over 21 events, and only 3 DNFs.
The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard True Grit award panel is comprised of: Chris Paulsen, President of C&R Racing, Inc.; Herb Branham, NASCAR - Manager of Communications; Ben Blake, Senior Editor Racer Magazine; David Poole, writer for The Charlotte Observer; Chris Jenkins, writer for USA Today; and Bruce Martin, writer for National Speed Sport News and ESPN's Sports Ticker. Each event the panel meets to select a deserving recipient of the $5000 (Indianapolis 500) and $10,000 (Allstate 400 at the Brickyard) award; based on experience, outstanding achievement, overcoming adversity, excellence in preparation and management, dedication to skilled trade, and overall racing experience.
Former winners include: Robby Reiser, Roush Racing; Barry Dodson, Eel River Racing; Buddy Parrott, Roush Racing; Glen & Leonard Wood, Wood Brothers Racing; Kyle Moyer, Andretti Green Racing; Mitch Davis, Target Chip Ganassi Racing; Craig Baranouski, A.J. Foyt Enterprises; Owen Snyder Jr., Eddie Cheever Racing and John King, A.J. Foyt Enterprises.
Founded in 1988, C&R Racing is a multi-faceted manufacturer and distributor of high quality racing parts for virtually every high performance application - from NASCAR to Open Wheel, Off-Road to Military, Motorcycles to Road Racers, Karts to IndyCars, and many more. Best known for its line of custom all-aluminum radiators, C&R prides itself of being an innovative technology driven company with the latest in CNC and metal fabrication equipment. C&R Racing is comprised of C&R Racing Incorporated, C&R Racing Performance, C&R Racing Radiators, and C&R Racing South. C&R Racing Radiators is proud to be a technical and R&D partner with Visteon - one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. C&R South manufactures and distributes drivetrain components (including the NASCAR approved BB-I transmission), Dynotech driveshafts, Visteon 9" Racing Gear Sets, and current C&R products excluding custom-built radiators. In 2004, C&R customers won races and championships in every form of professional and amateur racing around the world. C&R Racing is a group of dedicated skilled specialists with experience in all major forms of auto racing.
For Further Information Contact:
Debbie Crowley, C&R Racing, Inc.
P: (317) 293-4100 // C: (317) 626-3382 // E: debbiec@crracing.com
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