Derrick Kelley is moving his racing career in a fast-forward mode going into NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racing, starting at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. Kelley will drive in the Infineon 200 Wednesday. Kelley, of Auburndale, is scheduled to compete in 10 races in 2004 in the ADESA Impact Chevrolet Silverado truck owned by David Malcolmson of Concord, NC. Kelley will also drive at Dover on June 4, Memphis on June 19, Kentucky on July 10, Nashville on Aug. 14, Bristol on Aug. 25, Loudon on Sept. 18, Martinsville on Oct. 23, Darlington on Nov. 11 and Homestead on Nov. 19. It’s a workable deal for Kelley, who has Late Model, NASCAR Dash and USAR ProCup racing credentials to his credit and has a lot more race savvy than your average driver. “Derrick is very personable”, said Malcolmson. One of the things to take into account is that these races are televised nationally and drivers must be able to conduct themselves appropriately with a national audience. Kelley has always taken a close look at all his options, so this step up the ladder is no great surprise in the racing community. “Things happened at the right time for me to secure this ride, and David Malcolmson has the team on the right track in the ADESA truck ride,” said Kelley. Kelley ran a practice session in his truck at Rockingham on Thursday to check it out. “I had a real comfortable feeling in the ADESA Impact truck and we were turning some times that fit in with the competition,” said Kelley. “I’m really looking forward to competing in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racing and facing many of these fine truck drivers at tracks across the country.”(Lakeland Ledger)(5-15-2004)
