Fredericton, NB – All the way from Tennessee to the Geary
Woods! Two Time Daytona 500 Champion Sterling Marlin has announced his intentions to
enter the 9th Annual Peterbilt 250 at Speedway 660. Marlin will join a
strong list of Southern Stars who have competed in the Labour Day Classic. Over the
past several years fans have seen Johnny Benson, Terry & Justin Labonte and Ron
Hornaday take battle against the best Pro Stock teams in the Northeast.
Marlin was and
is a household name from his days behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup car. He is
perhaps best known as only the third driver in Cup history to win back-to-back Daytona
500s, joining Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough as the only drivers to earn that
distinction after winning in 1994 and 1995. "There is no doubt that my fondest
memory is winning that first Daytona 500," Sterling said. Marlin has also added
8 other Sprint Cup victories (total of 10) to his resume, competed in 747 Cup races and
has earned a whopping 38 Million dollars throughout his career. Before his
days in NASCAR Marlin won championships at Nashivlle Speedway. Marlin is currently
running a part time Sprint Cup schedule.
“I’m
excited; these home grown short track events are what our sport was built on.
This is a huge race for the Atlantic region and I’m really looking forward to racing
the best up there!” said Sterling in a phone interview.
Auto
Pride/Auto Value out of Fredericton, New Brunswick will be the primary sponsor on Marlin’s
car. In addition to Auto Pride/Auto Value, Marlin will receive support for his
venture from Peterbilt New Brunswick and Moosehead Breweries. Other sponsorship deals are
still in the works. “Man we are PUMPED. This is a thrill of a
lifetime for us at Auto Pride. Sterling is an icon in this sport and we are pretty
fired up to be a part of this deal.” said Randy McCoy of Auto Pride.
This news is
also great for all involved with Speedway 660. “This is something
special. There isn’t a NASCAR fan that hasn’t spent many a Sunday
afternoon on the coach watching Sterling Marlin on TV. To have him here, at our
track, racing in front of our fans is a really cool deal.” said Speedway 660 co-owner
Steve Burns.
Sterling’s car will be prepared by long
time weekly Speedway 660 competitor Hal O’Neal and the OGC Racing Team. “We
are pretty excited. We had some bad luck last year but the car has been completely
rebuilt and its ready to go” said Hal O’Neal. “We’ve been
racing for a lot of years and we’ve really missed it this year so I think this is
exactly what we need. We can’t wait!”
