NMPA Honors Hutchens With Spirit Award
Members of the National Motorsports Press Association selected Bobby Hutchens, director of competition at Stewart-Haas Racing, as the first quarter winner of the NMPA Speedway Motorsports Spirit Award.
The award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. Each year, quarterly winners are selected, and an overall winner is determined by a vote of the National Motorsports Press Association membership.
Hutchens was selected for continuing to oversee operations after the death of his wife from breast cancer in December. He also continues to support the group his late wife and a friend formed to help raise money to fight breast cancer.
Born into a racing family — father, Bud, and grandfather, Claude, were racers with Claude having competed in the very first race in 1948 at the historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. — Hutchens has never lost his love for driving. He still competes in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and he finished third in points at Bowman Gray in 2006 and 2008.
Hutchens earned the Most Popular Driver Award, as voted on by the fans, for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour in 2008.
Also receiving votes were Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Bristol Motor Speedway.
Sources: Tim Southers/NASCAR WSMT PR