Born: March 24, 1960
Known for: Roseville native Scott Pruett, a professional race car driver for 26 years, has won nine major championships. In 1989, he was the Indianapolis 500 co-rookie of the year.
Background: Pruett began driving go-karts when he was 9 and in 1981 won the World Karting Championship. He continued to excel in other racing divisions, winning International Motorsports Association championships in 1986 and 1988, and Trans Am titles in 1987, 1995 and 2003. He began racing Indy cars in 1988 and started the 1989 Indy 500 race in the 17th spot. He finished 10th and competed three more times (1991, '92 and '95). He began driving in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Nextel Cup) in 2000. He won the 2006 Grand American Rolex Series champion and placed second in this year's series, only two points behind the leader.
A highlight: Pruett was voted an International Race of Champions legend in 2005 in the road-racing category. He and his wife, Judy, have authored three children's books, "Twelve Little Race Cars," "Twelve More Little Race Cars" and "Rookie Racer."
In History's Spotlight profiles of Sacramento newsmakers were published originally in 2007 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of The Sacramento Bee. They were written by Anthony Sorci. Look for them every Sunday in Sac History Happenings.
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