Being named Rookie of the Year in any sport is a major achievement, but one local family had two competitors garner the honor in the same sport - and the same season.

Doff Cooksey Jr., 19, and Morgan Cooksey, 17, were named Rookie of the Year in their respective divisions at the Altamont Race Track for the 2007 season. Both earned cash awards, trophies, and will be recognized at an awards banquet in Reno later this month.

Their father couldn't be prouder. "It's nice because I think it will be the last time I will be able to do this with two of them during the same year," said Doff Cooksey Sr., who is also a member of the pit crew. "When it first started out, it was for fun; then it got so it was racing for points. We didn't pay attention to it (point standings)."

Doff Jr. was one of seven rookies and took third in points in the Premier Division, while Morgan competed against two or three other rookies and took fourth in points in the Second Tier Division. She was the only girl and the youngest driver at the track.

"I really enjoyed it," Morgan said. "I got to drive a bigger car and compete with a more diverse group of drivers. I want to try to be more competitive and win more races." In the upcoming season, Morgan will race in the same division but with a bigger engine in her car.

It was just as sweet the second time around for Doff Jr., who had earned the same honor in another division in his inaugural year on the track. "The season went pretty smoothly (this year)," he said. "We both finished all our races, but one apiece. The Premier class is tough. Every race counted."

Race car driving can be a fun but rough sport. Drivers must be consistent on the track (Altamont is a quarter-mile asphalt track) by finishing races in a showing position, and must keep a lot of engines and parts in stock. Engines are so built up (Morgan drives a 355 hp Chevy V8) and have so much horsepower, they're vulnerable to blowing up or failing in some way.

Tires might last one or two races, and when drivers need parts for their cars, they can't just walk into a local auto parts store and expect to find them. High-performance parts must be acquired from specialty stores, usually out of state. A delay of a week or more can take a driver right out of the next race.

On the flip side, the sport boasts a family atmosphere in which drivers help each other in the pits and off the track. "It's a clean, fun sport. There's no drinking or drugs in the pits," Doff Sr. said. "When you make friends at the racetrack, you make them for life."

The family is also grateful to its sponsors: Hidden River Lending, Aerial Control, Vornhagen Body and Paint, Big O Tires, Maggiore Farms, DML Angus Ranch and Borden Junction Garage.

For now, both racers will be attending college and getting ready for next season. Doff Jr. is a 2006 Liberty High graduate and is attending a community college in Modesto. Morgan will graduate from Liberty in June and plans to major in business at CSU Stanislaus in Turlock.