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Safety-Kleen Driver Challenge Rolls into Las Vegas for World Finals

The Safety-Kleen Driver Challenge held the 5th leg and World Finals of the 2011 season in Las Vegas, NV on October 15th and 16th. Ninety-seven participants from all over the United States competed in five different cities to qualify for the coveted twenty-four spots in the Safety-Kleen Driver Challenge 2011 World Finals.

The Safety-Kleen Driver Challenge season consisted of 99 competitors from across the United States, spotlighting the best Safety-Kleen drivers. Safety-Kleen came up with the challenge to promote safety and thank those employees who keep safety a priority while on the road. The drivers competed in three separate series according to the style and type of vehicle they drive at Safety-Kleen. The competitors' knowledge of highway regulations is also tested through a Department of Transportation quiz.

With the largest attendance of the season, twenty Western Region competitors took the course on Saturday. The final leg of the regional competitions proved to test each driver’s everyday skills and give them a chance to show off in front of family and coworkers. While the competition was designed to honor the best drivers, its other main purpose is to promote safety within the company. Ruben Moreno from Pueblo, Colorado commented on Safety-Kleen’s efforts by saying, “It’s a real honor for me to be here. I feel that Safety-Kleen has put safety in their first name and they are putting their money where their mouth is with the competition.”

The top two competitors from each series of the Western Region were announced at the awards dinner at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. These six competitors advanced to the World Finals. Safety-Kleen, Vice President of Recycle and Accumulation Services, Glenn Thompson, also honored a participating driver Robert Coquillette, or as everyone knows him “Coke,” with the Safety-Kleen Driver Challenge Achievement Award. Coke, one of the first 400 employees at Safety-Kleen, has been with the company since 1973.

Drivers who moved onto the finals the following day were:

Over the Road Series:

1st Place – David Sittrop (Ontario, CA)

2nd Place – Robert “Coke” Coquillette (Sacramento, CA)

Oil Truck Series:

1st Place – Benjamin Taylor (Salida, CA)

2nd Place – Troy Johnson (Clackamas, AZ)

Route Truck Series:

1st Place – David Escamilla (Salida, CA)

2nd Place – Edgar Artiaga (Chandler, AZ)

The twenty-four regional finalists competed on Sunday to see who would become the 2011 Safety-Kleen Driver Challenge World Champion. Since the course for the World Finals was more difficult than any other this season, the drivers again proved why they are the best drivers Safety-Kleen has on the road. The course challenged each driver with tight corners, difficult reversing maneuvers and navigating various obstacles proving to be the toughest course of the season. While the drivers were competitive, the overall sense of camaraderie was evident throughout the event. The crowd cheered for each and every competitor as they finished the course.

The World Finals driving course was set up much like the regional events, but the course was redesigned to add a higher degree of difficulty. Added to the course for the finals was a long-angle back shoot, a front tire roll over at six turns and a series of short shoots. The Route and Oil trucks drive the same course, while the Over the Road trucks were given a slightly different course to accommodate the length of the rig. With the added degree of difficulty to the course, each driver had to prove their specific skill set as a driver.

Bob Craycraft, Safety-Kleen CEO, was one of many Safety-Kleen employees that came the event to support the drivers. Craycraft shared, “It’s an awesome statement about the family that we have at Safety-Kleen after what I have witnessed here today at the competition. It’s the first thing I noticed when I came into this company that you can never know from the outside; the loyalty we have to this company and the people that bleed yellow.”

The competitors and Safety-Kleen guests finished the World Finals weekend with an awards ceremony in the NASCAR garage of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where they crowned the 2011 Safety-Kleen Driver Challenge Champion. The World Champions from each series will be invited to the 2012 Safety-Kleen Driver Challenge regional finals and will attend the Safety-Kleen President’s Council in 2012.

Over the Road Series:

1st Place – Robert Foster (Lexington, SC)

2nd Place – James Lynn (Caseyville, IL)

3rd Place – Dave Sittrop (Ontario, CA)

Oil Truck Series:

1st Place – Larry McClennon (Missouri City, TX)

2nd Place – Michael Stosberg (East St. Louis, MO)

3rd Place – John Bartkowiak (Mason, MI)

Route Truck Series:

1st Place – Stephen Desmonie (Cohoes, NY)

2nd Place – Mark Grimm (Piney Flatts, TN)

3rd Place – David Escamilla (Salida, CA)

For more information on the Safety-Kleen Driver Challenge visit www.safety-kleendriverchallenge.com.