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)
UDPATE 2: The team has decided to run Jason Keller in the #35 and will keep the #34 car number unchanged.(2-2-2010)
UPDATE 3: Keller announced late last week he had agreed to drive for the team owned by Mark Smith, a noted engine builder and owner of Pro Motors Engines. Keller said his crew chief will be Bryan Berry, who had success with Brendan Gaughan in 2009. But Keller acknowledged that it will be an uphill climb. The team was still hiring crew members and trying to acquire cars, and the season is 10 days away. Plus, Smith formed a partnership with Front Row Motorsports to run the #34 Chevy driven by Tony Raines out of his shops in Denver, N.C., making it an all-out scramble to get ready for the season. Keller said he originally was going to drive the #19 Smith’s former number in the Cup series but NASCAR told them another team has that number. Keller could end up in the #35, but there are plenty of other issues facing the team, for sure. Keller will have to make the first five races of the season via qualifying because a deal to get points from another team likely won’t be made.(NNS Racing)(2-3-2010)
