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Sam's Town 250 Steadman Marlin Notes Steadman Marlin plans to celebrate his 20th birthday this weekend in a way unlike most anyone his age. The third-generation driver will attempt to qualify for his second-career NASCAR Busch Series race behind the wheel of the No. 01 BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson Chevrolet at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park. Sunday’s Sam’s Town 250 marks Steadman’s second appearance in the driver’s seat of the Team SABCO Busch Series entry. Last April, he piloted the BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson Chevy in the BellSouth Mobility 320 Presented by Ericsson at Nashville (Tenn.) Speedway USA. Hard, clean racing kept Steadman in the top 20 most of that day, but he fell victim to a multi-car accident with 14 laps remaining. Nevertheless, the blond-haired Marlin brought the car home to a 30th-place finish in his Busch Series debut. Son of NASCAR Winston Cup standout Sterling Marlin and grandson of Grand National legend "Coo Coo" Marlin, the Columbia, Tenn.-native continues to find ways to follow in his father’s footsteps. Sterling Marlin initially took the reins of the BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson Chevy in the August event at Bristol. "When I was a little boy, I wanted to do everything my Dad did," Steadman recalled. "Starting my first Busch race at Nashville was one of the biggest thrills of my life because he’s had so much success there. Now, not only do I get another shot at a Busch race, I’m driving the same BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson Chevrolet that Dad drives… his crew, his car and everything. That’s pretty special to me." This weekend’s 250-lap event falls on an off-weekend for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, providing Sterling the unique opportunity to watch his son race. While Sterling attends several of Steadman’s NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Series races, he has never witnessed his oldest child in a Busch Series event. The Winston Cup teams were competing at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway last April while Steadman was logging his first Busch Series laps at Nashville. But this time will be different. "I’m not quite sure if I’m excited or not about Dad getting to watch me at Memphis," Steadman joked. "He can be my biggest fan but he can also be my worst critic. Dad has so much experience that he’s shared with me and it’ll probably help me to have him there. But if I mess up in the BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson Chevy, he’ll be the first to let me know. I can just hear him now keying his radio and fussing at me." The father and son duo has collaborated in the racing world many times before. Most recently, Steadman scored his second-career victory in the season-ending NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Series event at Nashville in a car owned by the two-time Daytona 500 winner. He completed the season with three pole positions, seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in just 19 starts. Steadman, who will mark his 20th birthday Sunday, ran a full Late Model Stock Car Series schedule in 1998 and 1999 for his father. His first win came in May 1999, after starting from the outside pole position and leading every lap of the race. In addition to that victory, he accumulated three pole positions, two top-five and five top-10 finishes last year. The younger Marlin intends to put all that experience to use this weekend at Memphis but the memories of the Nashville Busch race are forefront in his mind. "I really learned a lot in my first Busch race," he stated. "This series is very tough and competitive and it’s every man for himself. I had a great time last April until I got caught in that wreck with nowhere to go but into the middle of it. I had concentrated so hard on keeping the BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson Chevy out of trouble all day and was pretty disappointed. Hopefully this week will be a different story." Despite what the race holds for the No. 01 BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson Chevrolet, Steadman plans to enjoy himself and make it a 187.5-mile learning experience. "I’m going to use this race to gain more experience and get a better feel for the Busch cars," the University of Tennessee football fan explained. "I’m going to focus on staying out of the wrecks and passing other cars – hopefully the rest will fall into place. Sunday’s my birthday… and I’m wishing for a trip to Victory Lane that day."
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