The Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year is an annual award "presented to the driver who has performed with the most distinction among first-year drivers in the Indianapolis 500." Criteria includes "on-track performance in practice, qualifying and the race, media and fan interaction, sportsmanship and positive influence on the Indy 500." Sportsmanship is a drivers' relationship to fellow racers and fans, and media interaction is their availability to spectators and the press during the event. Voters are encouraged by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) to treat each criterion "as the same as any other." Competitors who outperform in their equipment during qualifying and the race, as well as those who led laps but retired, are given leeway. The award is not always presented to the highest-finishing rookie, and it is not given if there are no rookie entrants. It has formerly been sponsored by Stark and Wetzel, American Fletcher National Bank, Bank One, Chase, and Sunoco. The rules state that the driver must be a rookie who competes in qualifying and the race. Previous Indianapolis 500 racers and prize money winners are ineligible for the award at future events. According to earlier regulations, drivers were evaluated on their willingness to follow United States Auto Club regulations, mental attitude, willingness to listen to advice from experts, actions to improve the welfare and safety of other competitors, and their own performance in qualifying and the race. The term "appearance" was defined by officials in 1958 as a driver who paid for or took part in prize money for one of the race's 33 starting spots. They disqualified drivers who crashed before the start of the 1958 Indianapolis 500 from competing for the accolade the following year. It was established before the 1952 Indianapolis 500 to reward rookie drivers for their performance in the race. Each year, after the race has ended, a small group of current and former media members, along with IndyCar Series and IMS officials, vote. They use a points-based voting system to choose their first and second choices. The winners' names are engraved on the Stark and Wetzel Rookie of the Year Award Trophy in the IMS Museum, and they receive $50,000 in cash and a cut glass trophy. The Herff-Jones Co. spent $6,000 to create the -tall trophy. It has an onyx base with sterling rest googles and a sterling plate mounted on a central walnut shaft. A