New England 200 - Jason Keller Notes

ALBERTSONS/Jason Keller
New Hampshire International Speedway
NASCAR Busch Series
Notes and Quotes

Jason Keller Notes:
· Jason Keller and the Albertsons team hope to be the first two-time winner at New Hampshire International Speedway this weekend in the NASCAR Busch Series race. Keller’s only win in 2001 came at Loudon when he passed Kevin Harvick following a four-tire versus two-tire pit stop.
· Keller and the Albertsons team continued their second-half season push last weekend at Chicagoland with a sixth-place effort. Keller sits fifth, just 80 points behind Scott Riggs in the championship standings. · Keller has one win, two top fives and four top 10s at Loudon in 11 starts.

Jason Keller Quotes:
On Loudon and Beyond… The next three races on the NASCAR Busch Series schedule are very strong tracks for Keller and the Albertsons team beginning with New Hampshire this weekend. The Busch Series then travels to Pikes Peak and Indianapolis Raceway Park. Keller is looking forward to building on the success the team has seen over the past four races and drive the Albertsons Ford back into victory lane.

“For the first time this season we really have some momentum,” said Keller. “The next three races are good solid tracks for this team. It is the perfect time to head to these tracks and continue building our program to where it was last year. We are regaining the consistency we struggled to find early on in the season.

“Despite our finish last year at New Hampshire, we had a great car that qualified well and practiced well. I heard they repaved the track and I hope that it will provide more grip. It is a fast, flat, slick track that reminds me a lot of Milwaukee where we just had our first win of the season. This Albertsons team is going into this weekend with high hopes and expectations.”

On the championship battle… The top five drivers in the Busch Series championship race are only separated by 80 points. It is the first time in several years the battle for the Busch Series title has been this close. Keller knows it is important to remain consistent throughout the second half of the season.

“The biggest thing that we’ve accomplished over the past four or five races is that we have gained points each race and not lost any points,” said Keller. “We’ve been able to gain over 100 points since Dover and that is tough to do this year. Last year there were only three teams in contention and if one of those teams had a bad race, the other guy would more than likely take over the points lead.

“This year there are five guys that are consistent and have a legitimate shot at the title. It is unlikely that the other four teams will have trouble in the same race and you could gain 100 points. It is much easier to lose points than to gain them. One bad race could be extremely difficult to recover from at this stage of the season.”

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