MAX DUMESNY EARNS AUSTRALIAN SPRINTCAR POLL "DRIVER OF THE YEAR" AWARD… FOR THE FOURTH TIME KNOXVILLE, IOWA (April 26, 2005) - For the second year in a row, World Series Sprintcars (WSS) point champion Max Dumesny of Australia outpointed fellow Aussie Robbie Farr to earn the Australian Sprintcar Poll (ASP) "Driver of the Year" title. Dumesny claimed seven of the sixteen first-place votes cast by the select panel of Australian manufacturers, media members, promoters and sanctioning officials in the final 2004/2005 voting, while Farr earned five blue ribbons. Other single first place vote-getters were Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic (GASC) winner Kerry Madsen, Parramatta City Raceway's World of Outlaws (WoO) winner Donny Schatz, first-time Australia Sprintcar Title winner Brooke Tatnell, and PCR WoO runner-up Danny Lasoski, respectively. Max and the other poll award recipients will receive their honors on Friday, August 12, during the 2005 Knoxville Nationals in Knoxville, Iowa. The awards will also be re-presented on Saturday, January 28, 2006, during Premier Speedway's Grand Annual Sprint Car Classic weekend in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
Dumesny, who was born in Victoria and now resides in New South Wales, started sprintcar racing in 1982. He is a six-time WSS champion, a three-time winner of the GASC, a three-time winner of the Australian Sprintcar Championship, and now a four-time "Driver of the Year" recipient. He had previously earned the "Driver of the Year" title in 2001, '02 and '04. Max now ties A.J. "Skip" Jackson with four such titles. Ranked second in the final driver poll for the Australian sprintcar racing season is WSS rival Robbie Farr of New South Wales. Farr campaigned for Titan sprintcar owner Reeve Kruck of Queensland. Reeve Kruck captured his first-ever "Team of the Year" award on the strength of top finishes by both Farr and American teammate Daryn Pittman of Oklahoma.
Current Knoxville Raceway competitor Kerry Madsen of New South Wales is ranked third, while American WoO veteran Donny Schatz of North Dakota claimed fourth in the final standings. Brooke Tatnell, another WoO campaigner, is ranked fifth. Rounding out the top ten competitors in the Down Under season are American Shane Stewart of Oklahoma, Ryan Farrell, Darrell Hodges, Troy Little and American Jason Johnson of Louisiana, respectively. Peter Morris of Maxwill Engines in South Australia earned the "Builder/Manufacturer of the Year" honors for the first time. Fellow South Australian Dylan Jenkin earned the coveted "Rookie of the Year" award in the closest voting in that category's history. Wade Aunger of the World Series Sprintcars national tour garnered his second "Promoter of the Year" honors. Wade Aunger also claimed his fourth "Media Member of the Year" title for his efforts with the Network Nine-Speed Machine and SBS-Speedweek programs. Aunger is originally from Western Australia and now resides in New South Wales.
Fellow West Aussie native Ryan Farrell, ranked seventh nationally, took the "Wild Card Award" for his season-long exciting sprintcar performances. Following the closest voting in the history of any of the Australian Sprintcar Poll post-season awards, two deserving individuals will take home an "Outstanding Contribution to the Sport Award" for 2004/2005. They are veteran engine-builder Geoff Kendrick of Kendrick Automotive in Western Australia and long-time sprintcar racing official Mandy Searle of Victoria. Geoff had previously earned the "Builder/ Manufacturer of the Year" award in 1994/95, while this represents Mandy's first poll award. Both 'industry insiders' are known for their willingness to further the sport of Australian sprintcar racing through their tireless efforts at the local, regional and national levels. The Australian Sprintcar Poll is an official awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum Foundation of Knoxville, Iowa. The 2004/05 Australian Sprintcar Poll post-season awards will be presented on Friday, August 12, during the Knoxville Nationals, presented by Midwest Ford Dealers.
Final 2004/2005 Australian Sprintcar Poll Rank, Driver (First Place Votes), State/Country, Points 1., Max Dumesny (7), Victoria, AUS, 1015 2., Robbie Farr (5), New South Wales, AUS, 907 3., Kerry Madsen (1), New South Wales, AUS, 542 4., Donny Schatz (1), North Dakota, USA, 359 5., Brooke Tatnell (1), New South Wales, AUS, 341 6., Shane Stewart, Oklahoma, USA, 261 7., Ryan Farrell, Western Australia, AUS, 175 8., Darrell Hodges, Queensland, AUS, 123 9., Troy Little, New South Wales, AUS, 122 10., Jason Johnson, Louisiana, USA, 108 11., Daryn Pittman, Oklahoma, USA, 107 12., Danny Lasoski (1), Missouri, USA, 95 13., Travis Rilat, Texas, USA, 78 14., Mark Wells, Western Australia, AUS, 56 15., Jamie Maiolo, Western Australia, AUS, 52 16., Trevor Green, South Australia, AUS, 47 17., Luke Dillon, South Australia, AUS, 41 tie, Cameron Gessner, Queensland, AUS, 41 19., Danny Reidy, Northern Territory, AUS, 28 20., Grant Tunks, New South Wales, AUS, 21 21., Mike Van Bremen, Victoria, AUS, 20 22., Adrian Maher, New South Wales, AUS, 19 23., Steve Kinser, Indiana, USA, 18 tie, John Vogels, Victoria, AUS, 18 25., Stephen Bell, Victoria, AUS, 16
Also receiving multiple votes: Garry Brazier, Jason Dawkins, Craig Dollansky, Darren Jensen, Ian "Fly" Lewis, Brett Milburn, Joey Saldana, Sammy Swindell.