Nathan Haseleu is one of no less than three graduates of the NASCAR Touring Division competing for Rookie of the Year honors in 2001 in the Craftsman Truck Series. Haseleu, who along with Chuck Hossfeld made it through Jack Roush's grueling "Gong Show" to get one of the coveted rides in the No. 99 Roush Racing Fords, drove Late Model stock cars in the Midwest for the past several seasons.

Haseleu, 23, a native of Sun Prairie, Wis., has spent the last seven years grooming himself for his big shot with Roush. He won rookie of the year honors in the Hobby Stock division at Columbus and Jefferson speedways in his native Wisconsin in 1994, and the following year captured both championships. He is Columbus Speedway's 1997 Late Model Stock Car champion.

For the past three years Haseleu has been a consistent front runner and a top-10 finisher in the RE/MAX Challenge Series, where he finished 10th and seventh in the point standings two out of the last three years while scoring his first career victory.