A quintet of journalists were honored Wednesday evening during the 22nd annual presentation of the Miller Lite Motorsports Journalism Awards of Excellence in honor of Russ Catlin. The group included a veteran sportswriter who detailed the importance of each NASCAR pit crew members’ role for a story in The Charlotte Observer, and a Chattanooga, Tenn., television reporter who took viewers along as a group of high school students prepared and attempted to race a stock car. The Miller Lite Motorsports Journalism Awards of Excellence annually recognize outstanding motorsports coverage in five categories while honoring the memory of Russ Catlin, a motorsports journalism pioneer. A record number of entries were submitted to the Indiana University School of Journalism, whose faculty members selected the winners. Each winner received a plaque and a Rolex watch from Miller Lite NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Kurt Busch following a dinner at the Penske Racing facility in Mooresville, N.C. The event was part of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Media Tour hosted by Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The 2006 Miller Lite Motorsports Journalism Awards of Excellence in honor of Russ Catlin winners: David Poole The Charlotte Observer, Entry: Time Tested Seth Livingstone USA Today Sports Weekly; Entry: NASCAR’s Love Fuels Kids Camp Mike Massaro ESPN Outside the Lines; Entry: Cheat to Win Heather Williams WTVC – TV; Entry: Fast Times at Sequoyah High Photojournalism: Will Lester Inland Valley Daily Bulletin; Entry: Burnin’ Up.(Tom Roberts PR)(1-31-2007)
