This Week in Ford Racing: Jason Keller

Jason Keller has five career Busch Series wins to his credit, but each of those victories has come at tracks one mile in length or less. A 10-year veteran of the series, Keller has made significant improvements at NASCAR's superspeedway venues in 2001, finishing third at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May and fifth last week in Kansas City after leading 24 laps before the afternoon's final pit stop. The Busch Series returns to Lowe's Motor Speedway for Saturday's running of the Little Trees 300, and Keller is hoping to notch his first superspeedway victory in 249 career starts.

JASON KELLER-57-Albertsons Ford Taurus - YOU'VE REALLY IMPROVED YOUR PERFORMANCES ON THE LARGER TRACKS THIS YEAR. WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT TO? "I think a lot of that has to do with the balance of the Fords. We felt like that from our wind tunnel testing, the Fords were going to give us a little more balance on the bigger race tracks with the downforce balance from front to rear and things of that nature. We put a lot of emphasis on those types of race tracks this year as well. Not to say that we didn't emphasize the smaller race tracks, but we knew that as a driver, that was my weakness. In fact, I never had a top-five finish at Charlotte until this year, and I've had a lot of starts there. I never had top-five finish at Darlington and I had a lot of starts there, too. To come away with what we've been able to accomplish at those places is really good. I just attribute that increase in performance to buckling down and trying hard. A lot of people said, 'Aw, Jason can't drive on those big tracks, he's just a short-track driver.' I felt that if I got the right balance I could do it, and now we're showing it."

YOU ARE KNOWN FOR YOUR PROWESS ON THE SHORTER TRACKS. IS THAT BECAUSE OF YOUR RACING BACKGROUND? "I grew up on the shorter race tracks, but most drivers have grown up on the shorter race tracks, so I don't want to say that it's all that. It's just getting the right feel. Some drivers start off all of a sudden and can mash the gas long enough down the straightaway and it doesn't bother them, and they do a lot better on the bigger race tracks earlier in their careers and it's the short tracks that bother them. For me, it's taken me a little while. I would be hit or miss, and we weren't that consistent on the bigger tracks. Everybody asked me if I didn't like them. I like the bigger race tracks, it was just a point of getting the right feel."

YOU HAVE BACK-TO-BACK RACES ON MILE-AND-A-HALF TRACKS WITH KANSAS CITY AND CHARLOTTE. AS A DRIVER, DOES THAT ALLOW YOU TO GET IN CERTAIN MINDSET OR A GROOVE? "I think so. I definitely have a positive feel going into Charlotte just because of what I was able to accomplish there in the spring. We're testing at Memphis on Monday and Tuesday, so I won't have all mile-and-a-half mentality, but it's good to go and get that mentality of fuel mileage and things of that nature; a lot of things spill over from track to track."

SINCE 1995, YOU, MIKE MCLAUGHLIN AND ELTON SAWYER ARE THE ONLY COMPETITORS THAT HAVE COMPETED IN THE INAUGURAL RACES AT ALL 11 TRACKS THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE SCHEDULE. YOU'RE LOOKED UPON AS ONE OF THE SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE BUSCH SERIES, BUT PEOPLE FORGET THAT YOU'RE ONLY 31 YEARS OLD. "I've been fortunate enough to be in the series for a long time. I haven't really jumped at every opportunity to move on to Winston Cup, and I think that's what a lot of people see - drivers using the Busch Series as a stepping stone to go over to Winston Cup. I look back on my career, and maybe I should have jumped at some opportunities that I didn't, but I'm happy here and we'll just have to continue doing what we're doing in the Busch Series. The Busch Series is not just a stepping stone for guys any more. It used to be only a stepping stone, and you mention Elton Sawyer, Mike McLaughlin, Randy LaJoie and myself, and that's a lot of good guys that have been here a long time. I feel very honored to be a part of that group."

NEXT YEAR YOU TAKE THE LEAD ROLE AT PPC RACING WHEN ROOKIE SCOTT RIGGS TAKES THE SEAT VACATED BY JEFF GREEN. ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT ROLE? "A year ago I wouldn't be really comfortable with that role, and I'll be honest with you, it's because I wouldn't have felt that I could go to new places and really adapt like I have. And now, I do. I feel like I can do it. Scott's a rookie, but he's been to a lot of the race tracks that I've been to and the race tracks that he hasn't been to, I think I can help him. I think that I can bring that to him and help him. We're about the same size, we are going to start using the same seats in our cars, so I think we can help each other go and test. I can help him at those places he hasn't been. I'm ready for the challenge. That's just another chapter in the whole book and I'm ready for the challenge."

WHAT ABOUT BEING A LEADER IN THE SERIES? THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF HOT TOPICS IN THE GARAGE THIS YEAR. DO YOU FEEL THAT BEING ONE OF THE SENIOR DRIVERS THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE A MORE VOCAL ROLE IN THE GARAGE? "If that's where I am, and people listen to me because I've been in the series a long time, then that's good. I'm not a very outspoken person, so you're not going to see me making headlines in a lot of different issues. But, if people come and ask me about different things, I have been here a long time and I've seen a lot of things evolve, and I'm comfortable with that, too. I'm extremely comfortable in the Busch Series, and that's one of the reasons I'm still here. I didn't get many opportunities way back when, but over the last year, that's why I've stayed where I am. I won't say that I won't leave the Busch Series if the right opportunity comes along, but the Busch Series has been a good home for me. It's allowed me to have my family live that I really enjoy and allows me to live a normal life two to three days a week, so if I can be a veteran and a spokesperson for the series, I'd love to do that, too."

WE'VE RUN 28 BUSCH SERIES RACES SO FAR THIS SEASON AND HAD A HANDFUL OF RULE CHANGES IMPLEMENTED GOING INTO THE SEASON. IN YOUR OPINION, DID THOSE CHANGES TAKE THIS SERIES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? "They say it's a whole lot closer to what a Winston Cup car drives like, and it's taken a little while to adapt. It's hurt me at places where I had a great feel at. It's hurt me at Bristol and Dover; it really hurt me at places that I really had a handle on. I've kind of lost that handle, but I think that at other places it's helped. Along with the balance of the car, it's helped me got here where I'm competitive at each track we race at. It was like getting a second chance at those places that I haven't been good at in the past. To say we went in the right direction, I don't know if it's good that the Busch Series and the Cup Series are so close. I don't know the master plan behind the whole scenario, but if it's some master plan that we all run similar cars, then it's OK. It was a little bit of a challenge to start off with, and it still is at some places, but right now it's not too bad."