Chase Montgomery is 20, could pass for 16, and yet has been declared ”too experienced” by NASCAR to compete for rookie of the year in the Craftsman Truck Series. Montgomery will run in the #8 Dodge truck for Bobby Hamilton Racing in 2004. Montgomery competed in only one truck race, last year at Nashville Superspeedway. NASCAR policy permits a driver to compete in as many as six races in one season and still maintain his rookie status for the following year. But in an odd twist, Montgomery was declared ineligible for the truck rookie title because he ran 17 races last year in the more advanced Busch Series. ”We don’t have a hard-and-fast rule,” said Owen Kearns, manager of communications for the Craftsman Truck Series. ”We look at a driver’s experience, and in Chase’s case he has run a number of Busch races. It wouldn’t be fair for a driver with that degree of experience to challenge for Rookie of the Year in the Craftsman Truck Series.” Montgomery parlayed success in the ARCA Series into a limited Busch ride last year. Unable to land a full-time Busch ride this season, Montgomery and his father formed a truck team and planned to compete for rookie of the year. Jimmie White, in charge of NASCAR’s Raybestos Rookie of the Year program, said Montgomery’s status is unique but noted that there has been least one similar case. ”Mike Bliss was a rookie in the Busch Series last season but wasn’t eligible for the rookie award because he ran 25 Winston Cup races the previous season,” he said. ”It’s a judgment call,” White said. ”It’s simply intended to make sure that an experienced driver from a higher division doesn’t come into a lower division and take the rookie award.”(Tennessean)(1-23-2004)
UPDATE: NASCAR has decided to allow Chase Montgomery to compete for rookie of the year in the Craftsman Truck Series. The 20-year-old racer initially was told he might not be eligible for the award because he drove in 17 races last season in the Busch Series. A panel that included NASCAR President Mike Helton met this week, reviewed Montgomery’s situation, and declared him eligible. The rookie award is worth $10,000 plus $1,000 for each race the driver runs the following season.(Tennessean)(2-11-2004)
