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| Busch North Banquet---plus NASCAR EAST News on Santerre, Stefanik, Leighton, and GRIZCO: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year, New Team For GRIZCO Racing Lewiston, ME (January 3, 2005): GRIZCO Racing, which fields the No. 55 Burnham Boilers Chevrolets on the NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch North Series, is hoping for a chance to begin anew, see a culmination of the past, and relish in a shared anticipation of the future. It was these hopes that led car owners Steve and Peg Griswold to make one of the biggest changes to the team in its history. Driver, Mike Stefanik, will now have the closest thing to a “Dream Team” to help in his aim to get back to Victory Lane and contend for his record breaking 9th NASCAR Championship. Heading up those efforts will be three-time Busch North Series Champion Andy Santerre, who will shift his career focus from driver to team manager/crew chief. Between drivers and crew, the newly-assembled GRIZCO Racing share an unprecedented seven Busch North Series championships and 55 combined victories on a single Busch North team. Griswold will move the entire GRIZCO Racing operation to Concord, North Carolina where Santerre will prepare and maintain all of GRIZCO Racings entries. The 2005 season will also see a growth for GRIZCO Racing with the return of Brad Leighton to the stable. Leighton will pilot a second car for the team with sponsorship provided by the Irving Oil/Mainway brand. Both teams will be housed in the Concord, North Carolina location and overseen by Santerre. “I learned a long time ago that surrounding yourself with good people produces successful results,” Griswold said. “We have the best of the best working on this car. Brian Latuch and Karl Osha, they were top-notch. It was very hard for me to make this decision. However, the bar on the competition in the Busch North Series has been raised. NASCAR’s visions of an east coast series just underlines my need for GRIZCO to be located in North Carolina. We are looking ahead to where NASCAR is going with this series and we are aligning GRIZCO to prepare for that. We want to give Mike (Stefanik) and Brad (Leighton) every chance to succeed. Having people like Andy Santerre and Tom Carey, Jr. around coupled with a presence down south is sure to be an advantage.” “Multi-car teams are the wave of the future. I’ve thought about it since Brad (Leighton) first stepped down from full-time racing. And I’m not so certain that a two-car team is where we’ll stop. If advertising dollars warrant it, then maybe I could put Andy back in the driver’s seat with a third car.” Stefanik, driver of the No. 55 Burnham Boilers Chevrolet, started his career in 1976 at Stafford Motor Speedway. The Coventry, RI-driver earned four track championships between Stafford and the now defunct Riverside Park Speedway before moving on to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series. In 1995, Stefanik signed a ground-breaking deal with Burnham Corporation to drive in both the Busch North Series and Whelen Modified Series. In 1997, Stefanik won titles in both divisions and became the first driver since Lee Petty to win dual championships within the same year. He made his own record when he became the first driver in the history of NASCAR to win dual championships within the same season two years in a row. In 1999, Stefanik took his career south and won Rookie-of-the-Year honors in the Craftsman Truck Series before returning to the Whelen Modified Series in 2000. In 2001, Stefanik earned his seventh NASCAR Championship and backed it up in 2002 with his eighth title. At the conclusion of the 2002 season, Stefanik signed with GRIZCO Racing to drive the No. 55 Burnham Boilers Chevrolets and has been a mainstay on the team since. “First off, I have to wish (former crew) Brian, Karl, and Pat all the luck in their future. They were a big asset to the team and they will be missed. At the same time, I’m honored to have Andy (Santerre) involved in any racing program with me,” Stefanik said. “Obviously, I’d rather be competing against him, but I think that will come. Steve (Griswold) is not looking to cut back programs. He’s looking to increase them. We need more drivers in the series and we need to find ways to keep talent like Andy around – whether it be in the driver’s seat or managing the team.” “Steve (Griswold) has been looking at doing a multi-car operation for a while,” continued Stefanik. “Apparently he saw an opportunity to have that, and jumped on it. Steve has felt that there is a wealth of Busch Series knowledge that hasn’t been available to us at GRIZCO Racing. Andy is right in the heart of NASCAR – there’s certainly an advantage to that.” Santerre began his NASCAR racing career in 1993, earning Busch North Series “Rookie of the Year” honors; he went on to post 21 wins, 16 poles, 75 top-five and 107 top-10 finishes on the regional series. In 1998, Santerre moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to compete on the NASCAR Busch Series. He continued to make a name for himself earning top Rookie honors, scoring a pole, several top-10 finishes and an underdog race win at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Sponsorship opportunities dried up for the Cherryfield, Maine native, but his four years on the national Busch Series with its elite level of competition was a college education of sorts, preparing Santerre for his next chapter in racing. In 2002, Santerre came back to the regional Busch North Series and began a three year Championship run. Santerre has made no secret that his future aspirations lean more toward car ownership and management than they do to driving. Though he is a talented driver, his real passion is building racecars. The opportunity with GRIZCO Racing provides a new direction. “I have accomplished more than I ever dreamed possible when I started my racing career in 1993,” the 36-year old Santerre commented. “What I discovered over the years was that I liked building and preparing the racecars as much as I liked driving them, it was a challenge, another dimension to winning.” Santerre continues, “This opportunity with GRIZCO Racing allows me to evolve in my career and explore other areas of the sport. I am proud Steve and Peg have so much confidence in my abilities and I would like nothing better than to continue my Championship streak with their organization and drivers, Mike Stefanik and Brad Leighton.” Brad Leighton, who departed GRIZCO Racing at the conclusion of the 2002 season, will return to the ride that brought him two Championship titles. A self-starter, both on and off the track, Leighton has achieved milestones that only some drivers can dream of. After earning a Limited Sportsman Championship at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (ME) in 1990, Leighton moved on to the American-Canadian Tour in 1991 where he earned Rookie-of-the-Year honors. Four short years later, Leighton had achieved the ACT Championship. In 1996, Leighton, together with GRIZCO Racing, embarked on a new challenge: the Busch North Series. In only their first year of competition, the team achieved eight top-five finishes – more than any other rookie in the history of the series. Two of those finishes were trips to victory lane – tying such notables as Ricky Craven and Jerry Marquis for the most wins in a single season during a rookie year. Leighton worked to improve on his already impressive performances and in 1999 earned the crown jewel - the Busch North Series Championship. He defended that title the following season and is now second on the list of all-time winners with 24 victories. In addition, Leighton’s strong performances on New Hampshire International Speedway have earned him a remarkable four track championships at the most elite superspeedway on the series schedule. “It’s almost like going home,” Leighton said of his return to GRIZCO Racing. “Steve, Peg, my wife Lynn, and myself are very close friends. We started in racing together, and it’s only natural that we continue that relationship. We’ve always had a lot of success and a lot of fun racing together and I’m sure that tradition is going to continue now that we’re back together again.” Griswold’s vision of running a successful multi-team operation has been the team goal since Stefanik took over the wheel. These changes are aligning every effort within GRIZCO Racing to reach that goal. |
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ANDY SANTERRE HONORED FOR 3RD STRAIGHT BNS TITLE
UNCASVILLE,
Joining Santerre as a third time honoree was crew chief Roger Tryon, while Joe Bessey received the champion car owner award for the second straight year. Bessey was unable to attend the ceremony and engine builder Dennis Fischer accepted on his behalf.
In addition to their championship laurels, Santerre’s Aubuchon Hardware Chevrolet team was recognized as a group with the series’ Sportsmanship Award, voted by the series officials based on their record of helping other teams, including their closest rivals for the title.
Santerre, the 36-year-old
Elsewhere during the busy evening of presentations, Dale Quarterley and Ryan Seaman each collected two major awards. Quarterley, who finished third in the final standings, was honored with both the POWERade Power Move of the Race Award and the Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award, while Seaman claimed the Auto Meter Rookie of the Year Award and the series' Driver Improvement Award.
Two of the Busch North Series all-time greats earned prestigious accolades. Dave Dion received the Busch Pole Award championship after setting the fastest qualifying time on three occasons in 2004, and Mike Stefanik was voted Most Popular Driver by the NASCAR members participating in the series.
The Bunk Sampson Award, presented by the family of the late Busch North Series Director, was given to long-time series official Jim St. John, while the Busch North Series Auxiliary honored Thelma Corey for her long-time service to the organization. The series 18th annual banquet featured FOX TV broadcaster Mike Joy as master of ceremonies and was attended by an audience of over 500 in Mohegan Sun’s Uncas Ballroom.
For More Information, Contact: Al Robinson, NASCAR Public Relations (607) 565-2328 or arobinson@nascar.com
BUSCH NORTH SERIES BANQUET NOTES
Special guests at the Busch North Series banquet included former Daytona 500 winning crew chief Frank Stoddard and his wife Heidi, who were part of the Mike Olsen Little Trees team party. Stoddard got his start in racing as a teenage crew member for Olsen’s grandfather Stub Fadden.
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The great success enjoyed by the Busch North Series team at the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown last month at Irwindale (
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Previous “three-peat” champion Jamie Aube, who was present as a top 20 driver in the 2004 standings, was recognized for his pioneering achievement by master of ceremonies Mike Joy just before Santerre took the stage.
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The Busch North Series has long been known as a family-oriented series. That was emphasized again by the Women’s Auxiliary service award to Thelma Corey, who is part of a four-generation family at many races with daughter Elaine Stockwell, grandson Kip Stockwell, and great-grandson Cam Stockwell.
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Another family totally devoted to the Busch North Series is the Bouley family. Scott Bouley, who made the banquet’s premier fashion statement in white formal wear from head to foot, achieved a career goal by starting every race and finishing in the top 20 with one car and one engine. Scott noted, however, that they went through two trailers and three tow vehicles during the year. |
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