BES: Peyton Sellers to debut at Greenville-Pickens

NASCAR DODGE WEEKLY SERIES NATIONAL CHAMPION PEYTON SELLERS TO MAKE NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL DIVISION, BUSCH EAST SERIES DEBUT AT GREENVILLE-PICKENS ON JUNE 10

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 29, 2006) - Peyton Sellers, the 2005 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series National Champion, will make his NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series debut in the series opener, An American Revolution 150 presented by Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet at Greenville-Pickens Speedway on Saturday night, June 10. It also marks the first race for the former Busch North Series under its new identity and the return of nationally-televised racing to the track where live NASCAR TV began in 1971.

The Greenville-Pickens event will provide the first opportunity in 2006 for southeastern race fans who have supported the Danville, Va. native in his meteoric rise through the late model stock car ranks to see him in action in a NASCAR touring series. Sellers, who became the youngest Dodge Weekly Series National Champion last year at age 21, is a Richard Childress Racing development driver and competes regularly in the NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series for Bill McAnally Racing. He currently stands third in AutoZone West Series points and is leading the Sunoco Rookie standings on that circuit.

Sellers' mount at Greenville-Pickens will be the #31 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet entered by veteran Connecticut car owner Ted Marsh, whose cars are currently driven in the NASCAR Busch Series by Steve Park. Marsh will field a car for Sellers in several 2006 Busch East Series races which do not conflict with his primary commitment to Bill McAnally Racing in the AutoZone West Series.

"I'd never seen Greenville-Pickens until we took my late model there to test a couple of weeks ago," Sellers related. "It reminds me of a blend between Myrtle Beach and Martinsvllle," he added, explaining "It's like Myrtle Beach because it doesn't have much banking and Martinsvlle because you use a lot of brake."

He also looks forward to working with Marsh's team, partly because he's already fit so well with the McAnally team on the west coast, and partly because he knows the reputation of his new ride. "They've got a really good car, one of (Andy) Santerre's cars that's got a lot of history to it. They've got a lot of experience in the Busch Series, and in the Busch East Series with Ted Christopher. There's a lot of background there," Sellers said. In fact, Sellers follows in Christopher's footsteps as a reigning NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series National Champion making the step up to Busch East Series competition.

Most of all, Sellers looks forward to reconnecting with his fans. "I've had the chance to talk to a lot of people who say they're going to try to drive down that night. I've got a lot of fans who've watched me race in the Carolinas and I think there will be a pretty good fan following at Greenville-Pickens. I sure hope so," he added.

Other early entries include leading championship contenders Matt Kobyluck, Ryan Moore, Eddie MacDonald, Sean Caisse, Brian Hoar, and Bryon Chew. Sunoco rookie hopefuls John Freeman, Brent Cross, Jeremy Clark, Patrick Dupree, and Tim Cowen filed their entries with the first batch to reach NASCAR headquarters, as did one South Carolina driver, Jody Lavender of Hartsville, a veteran of the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series. Lavender will drive the JBR Racing Ford managed by former NASCAR Busch Series champion crew chief Steve Bird, which is annually a top superspeedway contender in the hands of Mike Gallo.

The schedule for An American Revolution 150 presented by Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet calls for practice to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 10, with Busch Pole Qualifying at 6:00 p.m. and the green flag before the live HDNet high-definition television cameras at 8:00 p.m.

-nascar-