by Kari Shear-Carlson / April 25, 2016 – The ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment Rookie of the Year candidates, Derek Kraus, Jeff Holtz, and Jake Finney, bring wins, championships and experience to the field of the Midwest Tour in 2016. With each of their own personal successes, the challenge for the ROY title won’t be an easy one.
Derek Kraus started racing a box stock go kart on dirt. He was the GSR Kartway champion in 2012 and 2013. Also in 2013 Kraus was the Midwest Bandolero track champion at State Park Speedway. 2014 was not only a busy, but a successful year for the now 14 year old. Derek was the state INEX Bandolero champion, the State Park Speedway Midwest Bandolero track champion, and also finished fourth in the Midwest Truck series, accumulating two fast qualifier awards in the series. In 2015, just a few days before his 14th birthday, Kraus won his first ever career super late model race. He grabbed the checkered flag in the season championship feature event at State Park Speedway and was also the track’s Rookie of the Year. His success didn’t stop there, however. The young driver out of Stratford, WI continued his winning ways in the Midwest Truck Series and clinched the 2015 Midwest Truck Series Championship. This year, Derek will be looking for another Rookie of the Year title in the ARCA Midwest Tour.
Milwaukee, WI native, Jeff Holtz has been the class of the field in the Mid American Stock Car Series for the last several years. He was the 2014 and 2015 Mid American Stock Car Series champion. In 2014, after starting 13th in a stout field, Holtz captured a big win at the historic Milwaukee Mile. Last year, Holtz claimed another crowning victory at Wisconsin’s Fastest Half-Mile in the Joe Shear Classic. In 2016, Holtz will be looking to shift his talents to the ARCA Midwest Tour, challenging for the Rookie of the Year title.
Along with Kraus and Holtz, second generation driver, Jake Finney will also be running for Rookie of the Year. Finney started his racing career like many, in go karts, at the age of 14. He went from being a top go kart racer to becoming successful in stock cars. Once competing in four series at one time, Finney raced at Grundy County Speedway, the Big 8 Late Model Series, the CRA Super Series, and the Mid American Stock Car Series. His first Mid Am win came at Wisconsin International Raceway, one of the most difficult circuits on the track.
The three rookies will join the rest of the ‘Stars and Cars’ including defending race winner Johnny Sauter and two-time defending Tour champion Ty Majeski this Sunday, May 1st when the ARCA Midwest Tour kicks off the 2016 season at Madison International Speedway with the Joe Shear Classic presented by SCAG Power Equipment. For additional information please visit www.arcamidwesttour.com.
Be sure to follow the ARCA Midwest Tour on Facebook (/midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the ARCA Midwest Tour, log on to arcamidwesttour.com. The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.