Jason Keller has had a steering wheel in his lap for as long as he can remember. For the past several months, however, that steering wheel has been attached to a forklift. “I’ve been working for my dad’s business, driving a forklift all winter,” said Keller, a NASCAR regular for the past 17 seasons. “It has actually been a very pleasant winter.” But as winter gives way to spring, Keller’s thoughts again are turning to racing. The Greenville stock car driver announced Friday an agreement with TriStar Motorsports of Mooresville, N.C., to drive the team’s #19 Chevy on the Nationwide Series this season. TriStar team owner Mark Smith, who said “our intention is to run the whole season (schedule),” has been out of the ownership business since 1997, but before that his team featured drivers such as Bobby Hamilton and Loy Allen Jr., in the 1990s. Smith has focused on building engines in recent years, most notably ones used by Ron Hornaday Jr. en route to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title last season.(The State)(1-30-2010)
UPDATE: hearing that the TriStar team will run two cars this year, with the other being last year’s Front Row Motorsports #34 team with Tony Raines.(1-30-2010)
