TOPEKA, Kan. (January 20, 2015) – Four ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv road racing superstars have been named finalists for the 2014 President’s Cup, presented annually to the driver demonstrating ability, competitiveness and success at the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Championship Runoffs®. The winner will be announced from nominees Andrew Longe, Lawrence Loshak, Matt Reynolds and Cliff White (in alphabetical order) at the 2015 ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet presented by Mazda on February 21 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
For the first time, the winner of the year’s top Club Racing driving honor will be announced from a pool of finalists at the same banquet that inducts this year’s ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Hall of Fame class.
The President’s cup was originally presented by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954, and has gone to racing legends Roger Penske, Skip Barber, Bobby Rahal, Jim Hall, Paul Newman and more.
“The President’s Cup winners contain some of the all-time greats in motorsports history, so Andrew, Lawrence, Matt and Cliff deserve a hearty congratulations just for the nomination on the heels of their National Championships,” Lisa Noble, ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv President & CEO, said. “This year we get to recognize a larger class of future ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv legends at the same time as our current class of Hall of Famers, and that attention is absolutely warranted.”
Longe, of Naples, Florida, earned his nomination with a Touring 2 victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the No. 02 Trianon/FALL-LINE Motorsports Porsche 911. Longe battled for his first National Championship with Kyle Kelley, eventually winning by just 0.047-second, the fifth-closest Runoffs finish in the modern transponder era.
Loshak, of Grafton, Wisconsin, won a drag race to the finish line over Jason Isley in H Production to defend his title in the No. 1 ETE Reman/HYPERformance/RWM/Hoosier Honda CRX and earn his fifth-career gold medal. Loshak’s title came by just 0.189-second, and he led 19 of 20 laps in the race.
Reynolds, of Boerne, Texas, absolutely dominated a competitive E Production field for his first National Championship in the No. 71 Reynolds Brother’s Racing/Jesse Prather Motorsports/Vintage Connection Mazda Miata. Reynolds earned the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Super Sweep award with his 20.276-second victory.
White, of Huntsville, Alabama, earned his Spec Racer Ford National Championship in the closest finish in class history. White’s 0.065-second win in the No. 58 Cottage Senior Living/Valvoline Spec Racer Ford over Mike Miserendino was the second National Championship of his career.
Also included in the banquet are the Solo Driver of the Year, the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Member of Excellence, the RallyCross Dirty Cup, and the Woolf Barnato Award.
Roger H. Johnson, Oscar Koveleski, Ron Sharp, Dr. George Snively and Bob Tullius will officially enter the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Hall of Fame during the evening’s festivities.
The MSX Expo and ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Convention will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center February 20-21 and the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Hall of Fame celebration will be Saturday, February 21 at the Hilton Charlotte Hotel. Hotel cutoff for special rates has been extended to January 27; reservations can be made at online or by phone 877-667-7213.
For more information or to register, visit MSXExpo.com. Tickets for the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet are $100, and ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Members can include either the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention or the MSX Conference, complete with speakers designed to improve motorsports skills, for an additional $95. Admission the MSX Expo show floor is free for ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv members.
