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Feb. 16 may be the first day of class, but the 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookies have been doing their homework. They bring a wealth of experience from more than 10 national racing series to the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Welcome the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookies of 2001:

  -- Willy T. Ribbs - No. 8 DaimlerChrysler Dodge.
     Ribbs arrives at Bobby Hamilton Racing with broad experience in
     professional racing.  In SCCA's Trans-Am Series, he claimed
     17 victories for Jack Roush.  From Trans-Am, Ribbs went on to win in
     IMSA.  Open-wheel fans will remember Ribbs from the 1991 Indianapolis
     500.  Ribbs, 42, continues to live in San Jose, Calif.

  -- David Donohue - No. 16 Team Rensi Motorsports Chevrolet.
     Donohue, 33, claimed the first CART Super Touring championship in 1997.
     The following year he went on to victory in his class at the 24 Hours
     of LeMans driving a Dodge Viper GTS-R.  Donohue, son of the famed
     Indianapolis 500 winner Mark Donohue, lives with his family in Malvern,
     Pa.

  -- Ricky Hendrick - No. 17 GMAC Financial Chevrolet
     A name synonymous with winning, Hendrick, son of four-time NASCAR
     Winston Cup championship owner Rick Hendrick, competed in a handful of
     Craftsman Truck Series events in 2000.  His best finish was sixth at
     Pikes Peak International Raceway.  At 20, Hendrick will try to become
     the youngest driver to win in Craftsman Truck Series competition.  He
     started his career in late model stock cars near his hometown at
     Concord Motorsports Park in N.C.

  -- Mark Petty - No. 44 Dodge
     Petty, son of Maurice Petty and nephew of Richard, entered seven events
     in the 2000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.  The 31-year-old's
     best finish was 10th in October at Texas Motor Speedway.  Petty, who
     resides in Randleman, N.C., works alongside his father and brothers
     building engines for the Petty Enterprises stable of race vehicles.

  -- Chuck Hossfeld - No. 50 Roush Racing Ford
     Recommended by former NASCAR Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie,
     Hossfeld, 23, survived several on-track auditions with Jack Roush to
     win his seat for the 2001 season.  Growing up in Ransomville, N.Y., he
     stormed the Northeast to win 18 asphalt modified races in 1999.  The
     same year, the open-wheel racer claimed two track championships and won
     the prestigious Sunoco Race of Champions.

  -- Travis Kvapil - No. 60 CAT Rental Stores Chevrolet
     Kvapil, 24, is looking forward to the Craftsman Truck Series stop in
     Pikes Peak International Raceway since he tasted victory there the last
     two years with the RE/MAX Challenge Series.  The late model touring
     division is where Kvapil, of Janesville, Wis., competed against Roush
     Racing newcomer Nathan Haseleu.  Ironically, both raced out of the same
     shop in Wisconsin.

  -- Billy Bigley - No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet
     Bigley, a native of Naples, Fla., clinched the Slim Jim All Pro Series
     championship in 2000.  The 38-year-old leaves this NASCAR tour as the
     all-time leader in career starts.  Bigley plans on driving in a handful
     of All Pro Series races outside his Craftsman Truck Series duties.

  -- Matt Crafton - No. 88 Sealmaster Racing Chevrolet
     Crafton graduates as the 2000 Featherlite Southwest Series champion,
     where he has raced since 1996.  His first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
     start was at last season's finale in California where he finished an
     impressive ninth.  This run helped secure the 24-year-old's spot in the
     No. 88 Chevrolet.  To be with the team, Crafton recently moved to Ohio
     from his hometown of Tulare, Calif.

  -- Nathan Haseleu - No. 99 Roush Racing Ford
     Jack Roush, known for bringing new talent to the Craftsman Truck
     Series, introduces Haseleu, a three-year veteran of the RE/MAX
     Challenge Series.  A native of Wisconsin, Haseleu, 23, won three local
     track championships before moving to NASCAR's late model touring
     division.

Several other drivers have tossed their hats in the rookie ring for the 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season: Ronnie Hornaday III, Ricky Sanders, Jason Small, Larry Gunzelman, and Brian Rose. With so many talented competitors, finishing at the head of the class will be quite an accomplishment.

Craftsman, the Official Tools of NASCAR, has sponsored the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since it began in 1995. Sears sells more than 1,800 Craftsman hand tools, all made in America and guaranteed forever. Sears offers Craftsman tools, merchandise and related services through approximately 860 full-line department stores, approximately 2,100 specialized retail locations including Sears Hardware, Sears dealer stores and Orchard Supply Hardware stores as well as through specialty catalogs and online at .

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck & Company

Contact: Becky Severs of Carrick PR for Sears, Roebuck & Company,
704-664-3366; or Lee Antonio of Sears, Roebuck & Company, 847-286-5569

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