Newsome honored as SCORE Person of Year at banquet

Monday, Dec. 14, 1998 | 11:36 a.m.

LAUGHLIN -- Dan Newsome, long-time desert racing manager for the BFGoodrich Tire Company, the world's winningest desert tire manufacturer, were the big winners Saturday night as SCORE International officially wrapped up the 1998 Laughlin SCORE Desert Series with its annual awards banquet held at Harrah's Hotel in Laughlin.

Newsome, who is transfering to Trans Am racing after more than a decade in the desert, was honored as the SCORE Person of the Year while BFGoodrich, based in Akron, Ohio, was presented two major awards as the top Entry Sponsor and Pit Support Team of the Year.

With a capacity crowd of nearly 500 participating in the SCORE awards night, Henderson's Bekki Freeman, and Craig Turner, Yorba Linda, Calif., were honored as co-Rookies of the Year by vote of the SCORE membership. Freeman is the first female racer to earn a SCORE car class title and she was second by just nine points in the battle for the 1998 SCORE overall point championship.

Jimco was honored for the third straight year as the Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer of the Year while Carrera Photography (Photographer) was also honored for the third consecutive year. Wiks Racing Engines was picked as the year's top Engine Builder and American Honda (Motorcycle Manufacturer) won back-to-back titles while other SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards went to Duralast Batteries (Contingency Company); Mike Smith (Mechanic) and Judy Smith (Journalist).

Point champions for the 23 different SCORE classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs were also honored. Leading the parade of champions were the team of David Ashley and Dan Smith of Riverside, Calif., who won the featured Trophy-Truck division in their Ford F-150 and Las Vegas' Troy Herbst, who was the overall and unlimited Class 1 point champion.

Freeman, the Class 1-2/1600 titlist, Class 5 champion Mike Dondel and SCORE Lites winner David Callaway split the $12,000 Toyota True Grit Award for having the fastest average speeds in their respective non factory classes while covering all 2,483 miles during the six SCORE races in 1998.

A total of eight racers received Toyota Milestone Awards for covering every mile of every race during the demanding season. In addition to Freeman, Dondel and Callaway, the five other class champions who also raced every mile in 1998 were: Ashley/Smith (Trophy-Truck), David Gasper, Chino Hills, Calif. (Class 5/1600), David Westhem, La Jolla, Calif. (Class 8) and Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Class 9).

Veteran racer George Erl received the Mag-7 Baja Spirit award for his special service to the SCORE Medical Team at this year's Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.

The six-race 1998 Laughlin SCORE Desert Series begins next month with the 5th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, Jan. 21-24. The only two-day race on the schedule, it will be held along the banks of the Colorado River, in the shadow of the Laughlin (Nev.) resort area. Pre-race festivities get underway on Jan. 21, with the vastly popular $25,000 Laughlin Leap and Pit Crew Showdown.