Top Riders Honored At The Toyota AMA Arenacross Series Awards Banquet - Dirt Rider Magazine

AURORA, Ill. (March 17, 2008) - The final weekend of racing for the 2007-'08 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series culminated in Green Bay on Saturday with Monster/Babbitt's/Kawasaki's Kelly Smith winning the season's last race - after Bad Boy/TUF/Honda's Chad Johnson had clinched the series' overall championship on Friday at the Resch Center.Tonight the competitors, teams, sponsors, race officials and their families all gathered for the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series banquet, a chance for everyone to re-live the exciting 2007-'08 racing season highlights and recognize those who had stood out for their efforts during the 19-round season.Beyond the 2007-'08 overall Toyota AMA Arenacross Series' AMA Arenacross class overall podium of 1st Chad Johnson; 2nd Kelly Smith and 3rd Brock Sellards (Monster/Babbitt's/Kawasaki), a number of highly deserving figures on the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series tour were acknowledged for their efforts. This included not only the 2007-'08 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series AMA Arenacross Lites class champions and awards for a number of other racers, but also several behind-the-scenes people that had a decided impact on the series this year.Award - Recipient
AMA Recognition - Ryan Holliday
Unsung Hero - Robbie Reynard
Mechanic of the Year - Tracin Seng
Manager of the Year - Denny Bartz
Driver of the Year - Kyle Stone
Golden Mic - Kevin Johnson
AX Lites West Champ - Colt Humphrey
AX Lites East Champ - Tyler Bright
AX Lites South Champ - Jimmy Albertson
AX Lites North Champ - Shane Sewell
100-Percent - Tom Hofmaster
Entertainer of the Year - Corey Green
Most Improved - Tyler Bright
Team of the Year - Monster/Babbitt's/Kawasaki
Sponsor Appreciation - Toyota
Lifetime Achievement - Robert Reynard Sr."From everyone at Live Nation and the AMA we'd like to thank the fans that attended the 2007-'08 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series," said banquet MC and series announcer Tim Cotter. "The series again enjoyed a great deal of parity with no less than nine different racers winning premier AMA Arenacross class main events. Attendance numbers were up in many areas and the series came right down to the wire in Green Bay."Again, congrats to Chad Johnson and the Bad Boy/TUF/Honda race team and we'll look forward to seeing everyone back for the 2008-'09 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series season opener next fall."Stay tuned for 2008-'09 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series schedule updates on http://www.arenacross.com2007-'08 AMA Arenacross Class Point Standings
1. Chad Johnson (7) 468
2. Kelly Smith (7) 448
3. Brock Sellards (5) 403
4. Teddy Maier (3) 374
5. Kevin Johnson (2) 371
6. Keith Johnson (1) 349
7. Tom Hofmaster (1) 290
8. Jim Neese 283
9. Gray Davenport 262
10. Robbie Reynard 260ABOUT LIVE NATION
Live Nation is the future of the music business. With the most live concerts, music venues and festivals in the world and the most comprehensive concert search engine on the web, Live Nation is revolutionizing the music industry: onstage and online. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "LYV." Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.livenation.com under the "About Us" section.