Touring Series Trio Named All-America
Santos, Truex, Holmes Earn AARWBA Recognition
Daytona Beach, FL — NASCAR touring series drivers Bobby Santos, Ryan Truex and Eric Holmes were recently named to the 2010 All-America Racing Team by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association.
The 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, Santos earned First Team All-America status in the Touring Series category. Santos, from Franklin, Mass., registered four wins during his first Whelen Modified Tour title campaign. The youngest champion in Tour history at 25, he became the first driver from the Modified ranks to garner First Team honors by the AARWBA.
Truex, from Mayetta, N.J., was selected Second Team All-America in the Touring Series category. The 18-year-old repeated as NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion in 2010 with a pair of wins and top fives in eight of the season’s 10 races.
Holmes captured his third NASCAR K&N Pro Series West title in 2010, and was tabbed by the AARWBA as an Honorable Mention selection in the Touring Series category. The 36-year-old from Escalon, Calif., found Victory Lane five times, which tied for the most among all of NASCAR’s touring series competitors.
Also listed was Patrick Long, who competed in four combined K&N Pro Series West and East races this past season. The accomplished road racer was named First Team All-America in the At Large category.
Each of the honorees will be recognized at the All-America Banquet on Jan. 9, 2011 in Indianapolis, Ind.
Santos, Truex and Holmes – along with Long – have guaranteed starting positions in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown by virtue of their performances this past season. NASCAR’s premier short-track event will be held on Jan. 28-29 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).
| CATEGORY | DRIVER |
|---|---|
| FIRST TEAM | |
| OPEN WHEEL | Dario Franchitti, Will Power |
| STOCK CAR | Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch |
| ROAD RACING | Scott Pruett/Memo Rojas, David Brabham/Simon Pagenaud |
| DRAG RACING | John Force, Larry Dixon |
| SHORT TRACK | Bryan Clauson, Levi Jones |
| TOURING SERIES | Todd Bodine, Bobby Santos |
| OFF-ROAD & RALLY | Rob MacCachren, Ricky Johnson & Antoine L’Estage/Nathalie Richard (tie) |
| AT LARGE | Jörg Bergmeister/Patrick Long, Frank Manzo |
| SECOND TEAM | |
| OPEN WHEEL | Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe |
| STOCK CAR | Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski |
| ROAD RACING | Tony Ave, Jon Fogarty/Alex Gurney |
| DRAG RACING | Tony Schumacher, Matt Hagan |
| SHORT TRACK | Jason Myers, Tim Shaffer |
| TOURING SERIES: | Ryan Truex, Patrick Sheltra |
| OFF-ROAD & RALLY | B.J. Baldwin |
| AT LARGE | J.K. Vernay, Peter Cunningham |
| HONORABLE MENTION | (At least 5% of the vote, five votes minimum) |
| OPEN WHEEL | Tony Kanaan |
| STOCK CAR | Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray |
| ROAD RACING | Max Angelelli/Ricky Taylor |
| DRAG RACING | none |
| SHORT TRACK | none |
| TOURING SERIES | Clay Rogers, Eric Holmes |
| OFF-ROAD & RALLY | Jesse Jones, Tom Lawless |
| AT LARGE | Randy Pobst, Von Smith |
| RISING STAR | (All who received at least five votes) |
| J.K. Vernay (IRL Indy Lights) | |
| Austin Dillon (NASCAR Trucks) | |
| Kody Swanson (USAC) | |
| James Hinchcliffe (IRL Indy Lights) | |
| Ricky Taylor (Grand-Am Daytona Prototype) | |
| LE Tonglet (NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle) [write-in] | |
| Scott Tucker (ALMS LMP Challenge) | |
| Jonathan Bomarito (Grand-Am GT) | |
| Robert Stout (SCCA World Challenge) | |
| Tanner Swanson (USAC) | |
| Lucas Wolfe (WoO Sprint Cars) |
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR PR