Rookie-of-the-Year Leader Brandon Whitt To Appear Friday Night at Graduate Restaurant in Stockton, CA

April 22, 2002, El Cajon, CA: Nineteen year-old stock car racer Brandon Whitt will make his first career appearance at a Southwest Featherlite fan event this Friday at the Graduate Restaurant in Stockton, California.

The young driver heads to Stockton leading the Rookie-of-the-Year points after three rounds of Southwest Featherlite competition, and is currently in tenth place in the overall standings.

Brandon and family-run Clean Line Racing team hope to continue their three-race finishing streak at the "Stockton 125" on Saturday, building towards Brandon's goal of winning the Rookie-of-the-Year this season.

Brandon's best finish in Southwest Featherlite to date was a fifth place result at his home track in El Cajon on March 23rd. After being bumped into the wall early in the subsequent race at Mesa Marin, Brandon returned to the track after fifteen minutes of quick repair work, finishing 22nd and maintaining his lead in Rookie of the Year points.

A third generation racer, Brandon follows in the footsteps of his Grandfather Jim, his Uncle Tobin, and his father Dan Whitt, who runs the Clean Line Racing team. After a three week break, Brandon is eager to return to the car and is excited about his first public appearance as a Southwest Featherlite driver.

"One thing that sets NASCAR apart is the special connection between the drivers and fans," Brandon explains. "Fans and drivers interact at every level of competition, and the best part is that the friends you make coming up through the ranks stick around and kind of ride along with you. My family has been fueled on NASCAR dreams for three generations, so I'm sure we'll be
able to relate to some of the people who come out to meet us."

The special driver autograph session will be held on Friday, April 26, at the Graduate Restaurant, 2207 Country Club Blvd., in Stockton, California. Several of the top Featherlite Southwest Series drivers will be on hand as well as two Featherlite Southwest Series racecars. Each fan will receive a Featherlite Southwest Series FAN Sticker.