Top Riders Honored at AX Banquet

AURORA, Ill. (March 17, 2008) – The final weekend of racing for the 2007-’08 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series culminated in Green Bay on Saturday with Monster/Babbitt’s/Kawasaki’s Kelly Smith winning the season’s last race – after Bad Boy/TUF/Honda’s Chad Johnson had clinched the series’ overall championship on Friday at the Resch Center.

Tonight the competitors, teams, sponsors, race officials and their families all gathered for the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series banquet, a chance for everyone to re-live the exciting 2007-’08 racing season highlights and recognize those who had stood out for their efforts during the 19-round season.

Beyond the 2007-’08 overall Toyota AMA Arenacross Series’ AMA Arenacross class overall podium of 1st Chad Johnson; 2nd Kelly Smith and 3rd Brock Sellards (Monster/Babbitt’s/Kawasaki), a number of highly deserving figures on the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series tour were acknowledged for their efforts. This included not only the 2007-’08 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series AMA Arenacross Lites class champions and awards for a number of other racers, but also several behind-the-scenes people that had a decided impact on the series this year.

Award                          Recipient

 

AMA Recognition           Ryan Holliday

Unsung Hero                 Robbie Reynard

Mechanic of the Year     Tracin Seng

Manager of the Year       Denny Bartz

Driver of the Year           Kyle Stone

Golden Mic                    Kevin Johnson

AX Lites West Champ    Colt Humphrey

AX Lites East Champ     Tyler Bright

AX Lites South Champ   Jimmy Albertson

AX Lites North Champ    Shane Sewell

100-Percent                   Tom Hofmaster

Entertainer of the Year    Corey Green

Most Improved               Tyler Bright

Team of the Year           Monster/Babbitt’s/Kawasaki

Sponsor Appreciation     Toyota

Lifetime Achievement     Robert Reynard Sr.

“From everyone at Live Nation and the AMA we’d like to thank the fans that attended the 2007-’08 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series,” said banquet MC and series announcer Tim Cotter. “The series again enjoyed a great deal of parity with no less than nine different racers winning premier AMA Arenacross class main events. Attendance numbers were up in many areas and the series came right down to the wire in Green Bay.

“Again, congrats to Chad Johnson and the Bad Boy/TUF/Honda race team and we’ll look forward to seeing everyone back for the 2008-’09 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series season opener next fall.”

Stay tuned for 2008-’09 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series schedule updates on www.arenacross.com

2007-’08 AMA Arenacross Class Point Standings

1.       Chad Johnson (7)            468                  

2.       Kelly Smith (7)                 448                  

3.       Brock Sellards (5)            403

4.       Teddy Maier (3)               374

5.       Kevin Johnson (2)            371

6.       Keith Johnson (1)             349

7.       Tom Hofmaster (1)           290

8.       Jim Neese                       283

9.       Gray Davenport               262

10.   Robbie Reynard              260

 

 

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