Four Time NASCAR BUSCH East Champion Andy
Santerre to Compete in Peterbilt 250
New
England Legend looking to contend for top prize in Labour Day Classic
July 17th, 2008
Fredericton, NB – The stage is starting to
set for the 8th Annual Peterbilt 250. New England Legend and Four Time
BUSCH East Champion Andy Santerre has announced his intentions on entering the Peterbilt
250.
Santerre last raced in 2005 where he wrapped
up his 4th consecutive NASCAR BUSCH East Championship (now dubbed the NASCAR
Camping World Series). Santerre holds the record for all time BUSCH East
championships with four (4). He was also the NASCAR Nationwide series Rookie of the
Year in 1998. In addition Andy won the NASCAR Nationwide event at Pikes Peak
in 1999.
In recent years Santerre has operated
successful racing programs under Andy Santerre Motorsports (ASM) out of Harrisburg, North
Carolina. ASM Motorsports has become the most recognizable and successful name in
the NASCAR Busch East Series. In 2006, under his leadership, ASM Motorsports guided
sophomore driver Sean Caisse within striking distance of the championship. ASM
Motorsports is regarded as the most esteemed team in the series.
Santerre is very excited about return to his
roots in a Pro Stock car and competing against the best in the region which includes long
time friend Kirk Thibeau. "For the past few years, my good friend Kirk Thibeau
has been racing these Pro Stock cars up there in Fredericton and for the past few years
he's been telling me I need to go up there and race with them," Andy said. "In
the past it had never worked out that I could be there. This year we happen to have
that weekend off, and I needed a good excuse to get away, and there's no better place than
my place up in Aroostook County, Maine, which is not too far from the track."
Another interesting first for Santerre will
be racing north of the border. "I'm looking forward to racing in Canada,
I've never raced there. There are a lot of great race fans there, and I have a lot of
friends up in northern Maine and around the Canadian border, I'm excited to get up
there."
This news has also got the management at Speedway
660 energized. “We are thrilled to have someone of Andy’s calibre compete
in the Peterbilt 250” said Speedway 660 co-owner Chris Johnston, “Andy is a
class act and nothing short of a genius when it comes to producing competitive race cars”.
Early predictions are that the 2008 event
could break the record for entries (44 in 2006). Throw in a name like Andy Santerre
and it’s not hard to realize why the event has become one of the Premier Pro Stock
races in the Northeast.
Andy will drive a car prepared by the Graham
Racing in Centreville in co-operation with Kirk Thibeau out of Fort Fairfield. ME.
The Ben and Andy Graham are no strangers to Speedway 660 having logged
thousands of laps over the years and Thibeau, a former Peterbilt 250 champion has been on
a roll this summer winning both of the Best of the Best 100 lap pro stock events and the
Best of the Best Mini Series Championship.
Andy Santerre Motorsports
www.andysanterremotorsports.com
The Peterbilt 250
The 2007 Peterbilt 250
will take place on Sunday, August 31st, 2008 and will be the highlight of the
7th Annual Leisure Family RV Centers SPEEDWEEKEND. The event will showcase the Speedway
660 Irving Lubricants Pro Stocks against the best of the Eastern Canada and New England.
The purse for 2008 will be over $70,000 with a guaranteed $15,000 to the event winner and
possible winner’s cheque of $28,000. Five years ago, the late Scott Fraser took home
a record $25,400 including lap money. Only eight years
old, the event as grown in crowd, atmosphere, and car count every year since its
inception. Over 8,000 people attended the 2007 event to break attendance records at Speedway
660. Forty plus pro stock cars, including several Maine drivers, attempting to
qualify for 28 spots on the starting grid.
Leisure Family RV Centers
SPEEDWEEKEND
Just
like the Peterbilt 250, Leisure Family RV Centers SPEEDWEEKEND continues to grow every
year. Over 14,000 people attended last year’s four-day stock car fest that includes a
corn boil on Friday night, O’Leary Pontiac Excitement Sportsman 150 race on Saturday
night, the Peterbilt 250 on Sunday, and finishes up with an Enduro 200 on Monday. While
the Peterbilt 250 is the highlight of the racing event, the weekend has developed into an
event on its own with over 600 campers turning Speedway 660 into a small town over the
weekend. It has become the destination of choice for the region’s stock car fans.
Speedway 660
Speedway 660 is WicKID
Family Fun! The 1/3 of a mile high-banked paved oval features three classes of
racing on a weekly basis: Irving Lubricants Pro Stocks, Martin’s Home Heating, and Coast
Tire Street Stocks. Over 70,000 people are expected to attend over 20 events during the
2008 season. Speedway 660 is located off Highway 7 on Route 660 in Geary, NB, and is
within minutes of Saint John and Fredericton. Speedway 660 can be found online at www.speedway660.com.
