NASCAR BGN: Keller Eager To Continue Short Track Success at Bristol

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

March 13, 2001

BOISE, IDAHO --- Jason Keller is accustomed to success on the series shorter tracks. In his eight years of racing at Bristol Motor Speedway, Keller has accumulated one win, one pole and eight top 10s. In the two Bristol races last year, Keller qualified on the outside pole and finished ninth and second respectively.

"We've had a great amount of success at Bristol," said Keller. "It's not easy though. To be successful at a short track you need luck, a car that handles well, great pit stops and a spotter that you trust. There was a time when I first started racing here that I hated Bristol. I thought it was the most difficult track in the world to run on. Then I arrived one year with a great handling car and it felt like the shortest race I had ever run.

"Being successful at Bristol is a team effort. Pit stops are vital because track position is everything. You have to rely on your spotter the entire race to get you through the slower cars because there is always lap traffic. The spotter is also instrumental in helping me acquire and obtain a rhythm. A good rhythm at Bristol is important because there is just not enough time to think on a half-mile track."

Keller and the No. 57 Albertson's team look forward to racing at Bristol. The track is one of a kind on the NASCAR circuit. Bristol is one of three concrete tracks and the only half-mile track where the NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division competes.

"The great thing about Bristol is that it has that great short track feel of the past with an atmosphere that signifies the growth of NASCAR," Keller said about the 147,000-seat facility. "If you are a driver you either love it or hate it. If your car handles well you will love each lap, if you car isn't handling well it will seem like the longest race of the year.

"There is action on the track every lap. That's why the fans love it. The guys on the team feel the same rush the fans do. They can feel the rumble of the engines throughout their entire bodies. Every emotion they're feeling just escalates. That's when the Albertson's pit crew feels the intensity and importance of those precious moments they go over the wall. I wish there was another track like it."

Before the 2001 NASCAR Busch Series season began, NASCAR announced the Busch Series cars would begin using larger motors similar to the ones run by the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Keller is quickly learning how to handle the larger powerplants.

"You won't see much change in the racing at a track like Bristol with the new motors," said Keller. "The concrete track already has more grip than most of the other tracks, so your car will stay put. At some of the other older tracks we'll have our hands full at first. Bristol will be the same great racing the fans and teams are used to no matter what is under the hood.

"After I leave Bristol I will have a great feel for how the season is going to go. The learning curve with the new motors should be over and we'll know who our biggest competitors will be."

Keller and the Albertson's team want to improve on the 2000 season which means only one thing, the NASCAR Busch Series Championship. A successful trip to Bristol will certainly help lead them to their goal.

Text provided by Heather Kincel

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