---

NASCAR BGN: Jeff Green Clinches 2000 NASCAR Busch Series Championship Title

31 October 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

(Mooresville, NC) Jeff Green, driver of the No. 10 Nestl NesQuik Chevrolet, clinched his first NASCAR Busch Series Championship title at Memphis Motorsports Park on Sunday, October 29, 2000. Green has had an impressive points lead over the rest of the field for throughout most of the second half of the 2000 season thus, he was able to mathematically clinch the title just by taking the green flag for the start of the Sam's Town 250 on Sunday.

"All I can say is this has been an amazing year," said Green. "I feel so lucky to be associated with everyone on this team, from Harold Holly, to all the crew guys, our owners at ppc Racing, Greg Pollex, John Bender, Bob Campbell and all the great folks at Nestl. There is no way this was done by one person alone. Everyone in this organization, no matter where they got their start in racing, has worked so hard to be able to one day say, 'We're the best there is right now,' and we've done that by winning the title this year. It is a great accomplishment for all of us."

Green left Memphis with a 593-point lead over second-place and teammate, Jason Keller. Green is on pace to break the record for the largest point margin at the end of the season. Currently, the record is 426 points set by Sam Ard over Jack Ingram in 1984.

"Two or three years down the road, people may not pay attention to it," said Green. "To be honest, up until this year, I never really paid attention to that record before either. It might not be that important to other people, but it is important to me and my NesQuik Racing team. It shows how much we dominated this year and it is something to be really proud of. It is always cool to break records and that is what we've set out to do this year."

With Green clinching the 2000 title, he has another entry for the record books. Green and his older brother, David, are now the first brothers in NASCAR history to win a major series championship.

"That's just another record, but it is one that will last forever and no one will ever be able to take that away from us," said Green. "David and I are the first ones to do it in the Busch Series and it is pretty amazing, because it looks like Bobby Labonte will do it in the Cup Series this year. It will be neat to go down in the history books with them as well. I will be proud to be able to put the Green name in the same category with the Labonte's. It is also pretty special to share it with them this year because their family were the ones that put David in the car when he won his championship."

Finally, if Jason Keller remains in second position in the point standings at the end of the season, Green and Keller will become the first teammates in NBS history to finish first and second in the point standings.

"Jason has worked just as hard as I have to get where he is today," said Green. "It will be great for both our teams and it would be a feather in ppc Racing's hat to be able to become the first team in the Busch Series to finish first and second in points. To do that would just be awesome! Knowing your whole organization is the best there is right now."

Green is set to return full-time in 2001 to the Busch Series with the same team and sponsor, Nestl NesQuik. Green and his NesQuik Racing team's goals at this point are to become the third consecutive team to post back-to-back championships. Randy LaJoie did it in 1996 and 1997, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. did in 1998 and 1999.

"It will be harder to repeat next year, I know, because our season has been so amazing this year," said Green. "We're focused on doing it and I really hope we do. It is what we are working toward. Even though it will be tough, I know we're ready for it. With all the new things we are doing with Ford next year and all the resources we will have to pull from, I think we'll be even better than this year."

Text Provided By Marcy Scott

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.