NASCAR’s young guns race at Wiscasset

Andy Santerre brings his young drivers to “The Ames True Value Center of Speed 300” August 15th

(Wiscasset, ME) Cherryfield, Maine native and four time NASCAR EAST champion Andy Santerre will bring two of his young drivers to race at The Wiscasset Raceway on Sunday, August 15th. Currently the competition director for Revolution Racing, Andy is working with four young drivers that are part of NASCAR’s 2010 Drive for Diversity program.

“It’s going to be a challenge,” Santerre said, “This is a great step for these young kids to come into NASCAR and we give them a shot of a lifetime. They get to drive for our team, which is a top-notch team and have great equipment. This is not about them bringing thousands of dollars to a team. It’s about their talent.”

Talent is something Andy Santerre knows a little about.

During his 11-year career in what is now known as the K&N Pro Series East, Santerre won four consecutive championships from 2002-2005 and earned 23 wins, 85 top-five and 119 top-ten finishes in 166 starts. Santerre also spent time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in the late 90′s, and was victorious in 1999 after returning from a broken leg he suffered at the start of the season at Daytona.

Santerre joined Revolution Racing, a driver developmental team based outside of Charlotte in Mooresville, North Carolina in 2009.

Two of the young NASCAR drivers learning from Andy will be traveling with him to Maine to race in the 150-lap Late Model Feature at The Ames True Value Center of Speed 300 on Sunday, August 15th.

Sergio Pena, a 16-year old driver from Winchester, Virgina, is one of Revolution Racing’s developmental drivers that will be in Wiscasset this season. Andy didn’t know anything about this young driver until, in his NASCAR K&N Series debut, he put his car on the pole and finished second at the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in Irwindale, California, in January.

Ryan Gifford, a 20-year old former developmental driver at Richard Childress Racing, will also be racing in Wiscasset August 15th. Gifford made four starts in the East in 2009 and finished in the top five three times. ”He’s a great driver,” Santerre said, “he has a lot of talent and is kind of the leader of the group.”

Joining Andy and the young drivers will be veteran crew chief Jerry Babb, another Maine native coming back for the big race weekend at Wiscasset. To give fans a chance to mix and mingle with our returning NASCAR veterans and young drivers the Wiscasset Raceway will have VIP tickets available for a lobster feed and meet & greet with Andy and the drivers. For more information, check the website at www.wiscassetraceway.info.

“We’re excited to give the fans at Wiscasset Raceway the chance to see the young drivers of NASCAR,” said Doug White, owner of the raceway, “we know there are also a lot of fans of Andy Santerre and we are proud to host them all at The Ames True Value Center of Speed 300 on Sunday August 15th. BE THERE!”