Perfect Timing: Keller To Surpass $11 Million In Series Sponsor Hometown

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 17, 2007) – Listen closely.
It’s not a roar – far from it. It’s not a bang. It’s hardly a pop.
It’s a quiet sound, yet one that reverberates within the NASCAR Busch Series.

“It” is yet another all-time mark about to fall by the wayside compliments of Jason Keller (#27 Huggies Ford) – the first series driver to surpass $9, $10 and by this weekend, $11 million in winnings.
But who knew?

The soft-spoken Keller is the king of quiet accomplishments. He’s a 17-year veteran, 12 of those seasons have been spent in a full-time capacity. He’s run a limited schedule the last two years, but this season he’s in a combination of rides with Brewco Motorsports and CJM Racing with the expectation of returning to full-time competition once again next season.

But the 37-year-old native of Greenville, S.C., has plenty of racing to do yet in 2007.
And as the NASCAR Busch Series makes its way to Gateway International Raceway, home of 26-year sponsor Busch Beer and parent company Anheuser-Busch, perhaps there’s no better representative to break a coveted mark and move one step closer to another milestone.

If his current schedule holds, Keller will become the series’ all-time starts leader in October at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

The record of 417 starts was set by Tommy Houston from 1982-96. Keller became just the second driver to record 400 starts when he did so last August at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

Keller, who seeks his first career win at Gateway, is $1,284 shy of the $11 million mark.
 
My Hometown: Wallaces, Edwards Return To Familiar Territory

Since 1999, the NASCAR Busch Series race at Gateway International Raceway has had two things in common – exciting finishes and at least one native son in the field.

Saturday night’s race will be no different as the St. Louis-based Wallace clan – brothers Kenny (#21 Jimmy John’s Chevy) and Mike (#7 GEICO Chevy) along with their nephew Steve (#66 HomeLife Communities Dodge) converge on their hometown track.

Another Missouri native, Columbia’s Carl Edwards (#60 Dish Network Ford) will be making his third consecutive appearance and fourth overall at Gateway. This time he comes home as the defending race winner and series standings leader.

Mike Wallace can make the biggest splash of his season to date at home on Saturday. The veteran was 19th in the standings seven races ago but is now 11 points from 10th place. He spent seven consecutive weeks in the top 10 earlier this season.

Steve Wallace is in his first full season in the series and is ranked 19th in the standings while Kenny Wallace – who recently took over as Steve’s spotter – is making his second start of the year in the NASCAR Busch Series.

Kenny served as a relief driver last February at California Speewday for David Gilliland, who had become ill. This weekend, he will start for Richard Childress Racing in the #21 car normally driven by reigning series champion Kevin Harvick, who won last Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway.
 
In The Loop: Gateway A Site For Sor - enson’s Eyes In Attempt To Snap 60-Race Winless String

Reed Sorenson (#41 Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge) circled and starred this NASCAR Busch Series weekend on his calendar.

Both of Sorenson’s trips to Gateway International Raceway have resulted in top-five finishes, the last of which was a win – and also happens to be his most recent series victory dating back to his last 60 races.

Sorenson collected one of his two career NASCAR Busch Series wins at Gateway (the other was at Nashville Superspeedway) in 2005. And last year, he came close to repeating, settling for a fourth-place finish.

His stats over the past two years are likewise impressive. He leads all drivers in pre-race Driver Rating at 127.1, has the fourth-best Average Running Position at 4.8, has more Fastest Laps Run than any other driver with 59 and has spent all but three laps in the top 15 (397 total).

In his four previous trips to the Madison, Ill., track, Scott Wimmer (#29 Holiday Inn Chevy) has also performed well. He has three top 10s and last year he finished sixth – his best finish of the season.

In that race, Wimmer ran all 200 laps in the top 15, earned a Driver Rating of 110.6, had an Average Running Position of 4.5 and collected 13 Fastest Laps Run.

Standings leader Carl Edwards will likely have a good chance to increase his lead over reigning series champion Kevin Harvick. For one, Harvick isn’t entered this weekend. But that may not matter, as Edwards has excelled at his home track in recent years at Gateway.

Edwards is the defending winner of this race and finished third at Gateway in 2005. Over the past two years, Edwards has a Driver Rating of 122.7 (third-best), an Average Running Position of 5.7 (fifth-best), 57 Fastest Laps Run (second-most) and 357 Laps in the Top 15 (fourth-most).

NBS ETC.

• Germain Racing Makes Series Jump: On the heels of its 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, Toyota’s first NASCAR national series title, Germain Racing looks to make its debut in the NASCAR Busch Series this weekend at Gateway. Todd Bodine, the 2006 Craftsman Truck champion and long-time NASCAR Busch Series competitor, will drive the #03 Germain Racing Toyota in its inaugural venture. Bodine won in the Truck Series at Gateway last year and likes the opportunity to make the team’s NASCAR Busch Series debut there. “We’ve been working on putting together a Busch program for a long time,” said Bodine. “I’m glad we’re getting on track with our first Busch Series race at a place where we’ve had success as a team, and I’ve had success as a driver.”

Bodine has 316 NASCAR Busch Series career starts, with 157 top-10 and 89 top-five finishes. He has 15 victories and seven pole awards. In his “regular” job, driving the #30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota for Germain Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Bodine is third in the standings with one win and one pole this season.

• Cassill Debuts For Hendrick: Continuing with the NASCAR Busch Series debut theme, a new face will be on the scene at Gateway as 18-year-old Landon Cassill, a driver for Hendrick Motorsports, is scheduled to drive the #24 National Guard Chevy. Cassill, who turned 18 on July 7, recently moved to Charlotte from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after graduating with honors from Jefferson High School. Cassill has competed in the NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series and in ARCA events leading up to his anticipated debut in the NASCAR Busch Series.
  
• Coleman Returns: It’s been a long wait in his mind, but Brad Coleman (#18 Carino’s Chevy) returns to the NASCAR Busch Series following a three-race layoff. The 19-year-old Coleman, who has a pole and three top-10 finsihes in his last four races – including consecutive top fives at Kentucky and The Milwaukee Mile – is scheduled to run the next six races for owner Joe Gibbs, marking Coleman’s longest starting string of the season. In the interim, the Houston, Texas native has been working out to gain strength and traveling to the race track to gain knowledge. He’s also spent countless hours on a simulator to prepare for the upcoming six tracks. The layoff might be more of a good thing than Coleman thinks – the last time he returned from a break – earlier this year with a six-week absence – he posted his career-best finish (second) at Kentucky.
  
• Edwards’ Adventure: It’s well-known that NASCAR Busch Series standings leader Carl Edwards enjoys working out and that bicycling is one of his favorite fitness elements. But  even Edwards acknowledges that his latest endeavor – riding his bike from his home in Columbia to Gateway International Raceway – is a first. Edwards will utilize the buddy system, riding with friends over what he believes will be a two-day trip. He also plans to race against his younger brother, Kenny, on Sunday at I-80 Speedway in Omaha, Neb., on Carl Edwards Night at the track in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series competition.

The Director's Take

INSIGHT FROM JOE BALASH,
NASCAR BUSCH SERIES DIRECTOR
 
“Gateway is a more difficult track for crew chiefs and drivers to dial in their car because Turns 1 and 2 have 11 degrees of banking, while Turns 3 and 4 have nine degrees.

Although Turns 1 and 2 have more banking, it’s a much tighter radius in the corner than in 3 and 4.

Teams are always making a compromise with the race car because of the differences at each end of the track.

The crew chiefs and drivers that get on the same page and find a balance with the differences in the race track are going to be the teams that run up front.”

News From The NAPA Auto Parts 200

Canadians In The Field: As the entry list begins to take shape for the NAPA Auto Parts 200, the list of Canadian drivers is solidifying as well. Led by Patrick Carpentier, who last week announced his intention to drive the #22 Fitz Motorsports Dodge in the event, other native Canadians who are entered to date include:

Driver                    Car                    Hometown
J.R. Fitzpatrick      #0 Chevy   Cambridge, Ontario
Patrick Carpentier  #22 Dodge      Montreal, Quebec
Ron Fellows          #33 Chevy  Mississauga, Ontario
D.J. Kennington     #72 Dodge      St. Thomas, Ontario

2007 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES
RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

     Driver                                            Points
 1. David Ragan                                      184
 2. Marcos Ambrose                               167
 3. Juan Pablo Montoya                          162
 4. Kyle Krisiloff                                      151
 5. Brad Keselowski                                 98
 6. Brad Coleman                                     88
 7. Robert Richardson Jr.                          67
 8. Justin Diercks                                     51

Note: Alex Garcia has officially withdrawn from the program. Sam Hornish Jr. and Bobby Santos are no longer eligible as they have not attempted eight of the first 20 events.

ESPN/ABC

ESPN2 will feature NASCAR Busch Series racing live from Gateway International Raceway on Saturday night. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown at 8:00 p.m. ET; the race starts at 8:30 p.m. ET. ESPN2 will carry the final practice session on Friday evening as well as qualifying on Saturday.

Allen Bestwick hosts NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN Pit Studio, joined by Rusty Wallace – who returns to his hometown of St. Louis – and analyst Brad Daugherty, while Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car.

Wallace will work in the ESPN booth as lead analyst for the telecast and will be joined by Andy Petree. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

ESPN2 will also have live coverage of qualifying from Gateway along with the final practice session. Practice coverage will air at 7:00 p.m. ET Friday, with the live qualifying show for the Gateway 250 hosted by Bestwick beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

2007 At-A-Glance: NASCAR Busch Series Leaders After 20 Of 35 Races:

Traditional Statistics:

Driver points – Edwards (3074)
Victories – Edwards (4)
Races led – Edwards (15)
Laps led – Edwards (674)
Top-five finishes – Edwards (12)
Top-10 finishes – Edwards (15)
Owner points – Roush (#60) - (3074) 
Money Won – Edwards ($805,785)
Miles led – Ky. Busch (1015.53)
Busch Poles – Hamlin (4)
Closing in on Top 10 – Ambrose10th (1939 pts): Kenseth (-3); M. Wallace (-11); Biffle (-48)
Consecutive Weeks in Top 10 – Blaney, Edwards, Harvick (20)

Loop Data Statistics:

Driver Rating – Edwards (115.3)
Average Running Position – Edwards (7.2)
Fastest Laps Run – Edwards (432 fastest laps)
Quality Passes – Edwards (752)
Laps In Top 15 – Edwards (3,380 of a possible 3,766)

Three Different Winners In Last Three Races At Gateway; Ford Has Recent Edge

Gateway International Raceway hasn’t had a repeat winner since two-time series champion Kevin Harvick won consecutive races in 2000-01. Likewise, there hasn’t been a manufacturer to repeat at Gateway since Ford in 2002-03.

Over the last three races at Gateway, three different manufacturers have gone to Victory Lane. That could bode well for Toyota, currently in fourth place but rising in the Bill France Performance Cup standings.

Toyota has yet to win in NASCAR Busch Series competition this season, but has fared well this season on tracks just over one mile in length. Toyota is only three points behind third-place Dodge, the 2005 winner Reed Sorenson.

First-place Chevy last won at Gateway in 2004 but comes to the track with momentum having won one week ago at Chicagoland with Harvick behind the wheel.

Ford, in second place in the standings, has defending race winner Carl Edwards in the fold to go for back-to-back victories.
  
Manufacturers' Championship
2007 Points Standings

Chevy 151
Ford 128
Dodge  82
Toyota  79
 
Up Next: Kroger 200 At O’Reilly Raceway Park At Indianapolis

The longest-standing race sponsor in the NASCAR Busch Series, Kroger, once again holds the title for next Saturday’s event at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. ESPN2 will carry the race live beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Although considered a “stand-alone” event, the NASCAR Busch Series will share the 0.686-mile stage with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which will run the previous evening.

Kevin Harvick is the defending winner of the Kroger 200 while Denny Hamlin captured the Busch Pole last year.

The race is the second of three consecutive stand-alone events on the series’ summer schedule. The last in the group will be the inaugural race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on Aug. 4.
The Director’s Take: Gateway

2007 Point Standings

No. Driver        Points
1    Edwards     3074
2    Harvick        2358
3    Reutimann   2207
4    Blaney        2194
5    Ragan         2116
6    Leffler          2097
7    Hamilton Jr. 2059
8    Leicht         2000
9    Bowyer       1999
10   Ambrose    1939

The Race:  Gateway 250
The Place: Gateway International Raceway
The Date:  July 21, 20071
The Time: 8:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN2, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Track Layout: 1.25-mile oval
Race Purse: $1,532,287
2006 Winner: Carl Edwards
2006 Pole: Denny Hamlin

Schedule:
Fri.: 6 – 7:00 p.m. – Practice; Rookie Practice; 7:15 – 7:45 p.m. – Final Practice 8 – 9:00 p.m. (one hour, time permitting). Sat.: 3:35 p.m. – Qualifying (Impound).