2007 Season Will Be Last For “Little Trees” Racing

 

            North Haverhill, NH (January 25, 2007): As the Busch East Series, Grand National Division begins a new chapter with the 2007 race season, defending champion Mike Olsen and the “Little Trees” race team have announced that they will be competing in their last full-time season. Car-Freshner Corporation will also exit from auto racing sponsorship and the duo will conclude a storied 12-year relationship that has included two series titles. As a wise person once said, “There is an end to everything, and to good things as well.”

            “We’ll definitely be back in 2007 to defend our title. We’re hoping to go out big,” said Olsen. “It was really hard to make this decision to step away as a full-time driver, but it doesn’t mean I want to get out completely. I’m just giving up point chasing. I may pick and choose a couple of races to compete in, and I am interested in helping the next generation of drivers be successful in this series.”

            Olsen got his start in the Busch East Series back in 1989 under the watchful eye of Grandfather Stanley “Stub” Fadden – a veteran racer in the Northeast area. Olsen drove for three full seasons before financial restraints forced him to cut back his schedule.

            Car-Freshner Corporation, maker of the world famous “Little Trees” air fresheners for the home, car, and office, partnered with Olsen at the conclusion of the 1995 season and enabled Olsen to establish himself as a full-time competitor once again. Since then, Olsen has become one of the most respected and successful drivers in the series. The 38-year-old North Haverhill, New Hampshire resident currently holds the record for most consecutive starts with 185 and has earned two championships with a career total of six wins, 60 top-five’s, and 129 top-10’s.

            “We started thinking about this halfway through our 2006 season. The Busch East Series has been in a transition period, but it’s being more and more tailored for the young development drivers, and I’m not sure that I’m part of that picture as a driver. As an owner, maybe, but not as a driver,” Olsen said.

            When Olsen told Car-Freshner Corporation that he was contemplating stepping back, they decided that it was time that they walk away from racing altogether. The relationship they built with Fadden Racing and Mike Olsen is one they feel they will never be able to duplicate.

            “Working with Mike Olsen and all of the members of the ‘Little Trees’ race team has been a rewarding experience for Car-Freshner and our employees, but we have no intentions of coming back to the Busch East Series, or any racing series,” said Elizabeth Perry, Vice President of Marketing for Car-Freshner Corporation. “We’ve enjoyed being a part of Mike’s successes, and we wish him well with whatever he wants to do. Without Fadden Racing, NASCAR is just not a viable advertising option for us anymore. The series has changed quite a bit from when we started. These changes by NASCAR have made it very difficult for companies to justify the cost of sponsorship. The fact that Mike was stepping down from full-time racing made our decision to step away from NASCAR an easy one.”

            Olsen is optimistic about defending his Championship title in the 2007 season, and is anxious to get the season in gear.

            “We’ll be traveling to a lot of new venues this year, and as a driver, that is very exciting,” said Olsen. “My crew chief and I have already been working hard on the cars to prepare them for the ’07 season. You have to come out of the gate strong with a 13-race schedule. There’s no room for error. We’ve been working hard to get these cars ready, and once we’re done with that, we’ll go over them a second time, and a third time if necessary. We’re not going out quietly.”