Brad Rogers Wins Advance
Auto Parts Pole Award
Brad Rogers picked up his first Advance
Auto Parts Pole Award of the season in qualifying for this past Saturday night's
running of the Mark Brooks Memorial Bi-Lo 250 presented by Black’s Tire Service
at Myrtle Beach Speedway. Rogers led an all-rookie front row to the start
of the race. Brad went on to finish 7th in the Championship Series event!
Rogers To Use Scare
Tactics at the Beach
Fans Beware! Brad Rogers, USAR Hooters ProCup Southern
Division Rookie of the Year will be unveiling a new paint scheme this weekend.
Lance Kelly, of Lance Kelly Designs, has designed a special Halloween Edition
design for the No. 29 Fire Protection Ford Taurus. The car will be unlike
anything you’ve ever seen, and it will surely scare even the toughest race fan.
So far, the Championship series has been filled with bad luck for Rogers, but
returning to Myrtle Beach may be just what he needed to shake that bad luck
streak. When he competed in the Hooters Air 250 at Myrtle Beach Speedway earlier
this year, he ended up with a second-place finish. Rogers also won the only UARA
race he has ever entered at Myrtle Beach in 2003.
Rogers had a very successful test at Myrtle Beach earlier this week and feels
good about this weekend.
"I am looking forward to going back to the beach; I really need a good finish to
gain some rookie points," said Rogers. "I am going to stay focused and hopefully
end up celebrating with my team in victory lane!"
Rogers has sponsorship from Rhine Hardt Mortgage, Tire Rear Ends and Lance Kelly
Designs on the Fire Protection Ford for this weekend’s race. Be sure to come out
to see him compete, he will be easy to spot in the scary new ride!
Brad Rogers Wins Southern Division Miller Lite
Rookie of the Year
Longs, SC - After five races in the Southern Division regular season, Brad
Rogers wasn't sure what the rest of the year would hold, or if there would be a
rest of the year.
Rogers started the season with a third-place finish in the season opener at USA
Int'l Speedway, but the 20-year-old driver averaged a 20th-place finish in the
next four races and dropped to 14th in points.
"The first half of the season was a struggle," said Rogers. "There were three or
four races that we just stayed down."
Instead of saving his rookie status for next year, Rogers' team decided to
finish out the season. And it proved to be the right decision.
With the cancellation of the Jackaroo Sauces 250 earlier today, the younger
Rogers became the Miller Lite Rookie of the Year in the Southern Division and
added $10,000 to his season winnings for the award.
"It feels great to win the rookie award for the regular season," said Rogers,
driver of the No. 29 KellyCo. Heavy Hauling Ford. "[Winning the Southern
Division ROTY] was a goal that we had set for our season. After struggling at
the beginning of the year, it was like a light switch came on in the second half
of the year."
And Rogers' finishes reflected that as the first-year driver notched six
top-five finishes in seven races, including his first win at Southern National
Speedway on July 24.
"Everybody is going to have bad luck, and we got ours out of the way at the
beginning of the year," said Rogers. "I'm extremely happy with the way the last
half of the season has gone."
As well he should be.
Not only did Rogers' run of stout finishes vault him to the regular season ROTY
award, the Moorseville, N.C., driver moved from 14th in points to fourth during
the seven-race span. It also caught the eye of Blake Garrison, Vice President of
Sports Marketing at All-Pro Sports, who will be working to promote and seek
further sponsorship for Rogers. "With Brad's talent and desire to compete, he
will be a top contender for years to come," said Garrison.
With one goal accomplished, Rogers will turn his focus to his second goal:
winning the overall Miller Lite Rookie of the Year and the $25,000 check. But he
knows that will be no easy task.
"Matt [Carter] had some bad luck at the end of the year and that made the
difference, but he's going to be tough to beat for the overall rookie," said
Rogers, who bested Carter for the Southern Division ROTY award by 129 points.
"[Gary] St. Amant is going to be tough to beat as well. He's been doing this a
long time, but I can't worry about them. I'm more concerned about winning races
and being consistent."
If he can accomplish both of those goals in the Championship Series, there may
be a sibling rivalry brewing for the overall title.