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Special from
Bill Elliott Driver Development
Roderick to
Run Both CRA, GAS Late Model Races at SpeedFest 2009
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. -- Casey Roderick, driver of the No. 9 Ford for the
Bill Elliott Driver Development (BEDD) team, is gearing up for an
action-packed weekend at SpeedFest 2009 at Lanier National
Speedway (Braselton, Ga.)
January 23-25, 2009. Roderick will run both the CRA Super
Series-sanctioned 200-lap Super Late Model race and the Georgia
Asphalt Series (GAS)-sanctioned 100-lap Pro Late Model race.
The CRA SpeedFest 200 will mark Roderick's first start in a Super
Late Model car. In eight career Late Model starts, Roderick has
three top-five's, six top-ten's and one pole; his worst finish is
11th (twice).
By entering both races, Roderick is eligible for the $10,000 bonus
for any driver who can win both events. If no driver pulls off the
feat, the driver with the highest average finish from the two races
will receive a $2,500 bonus.
Sixteen-year-old Roderick, a native of nearby Lawrenceville, Ga., is
one of Georgia's most successful Legends Racing drivers and was
handpicked by
NASCAR legend Bill Elliott
to join his driver development program in July 2008. Roderick
quickly started turning heads when he nearly won in his first start
in the No. 9 BEDD Ford in an ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour race in
August. He followed that up with another second place and two
eleventh-place finishes in the ASA SAT in 2008.
Roderick's first – and only – start in the Georgia Asphalt Series
came in August 2008 at Peach State Speedway (Jefferson, Ga.).
Roderick led for twenty laps until his car developed a tight
condition and finished in eighth.
Roderick also has one start at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway,
where he earned his first LM pole; and two at Five Flags Speedway
(Pensacola, Fla.), including his first trip to the annual Snowball
Derby in December where he competed in the Snowflake 100, one of the
biggest Pro Late Model races of the year. Roderick went two-laps
down early in the race with a flat tire and battled his way back
onto the lead lap to finish third.
In December, Roderick joined Elliott at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway
where he tested an ARCA car and made his first laps on a
superspeedway. Elliott hopes to start Roderick in select ARCA and
other Late Model events in 2009.
SpeedFest 2009 marks the first major Late Model event of the year
and has become a tradition of North vs. South drivers, attracting
stars from the Champion Racing Association (CRA), Georgia Asphalt
Series (GAS), Pro All Stars Series (PASS), American Speed
Association (ASA), the Snowball Derby, the All-American 400 and many
others. The annual event began five years ago at the USA
International Speedway (Lakeland, Fla.); after the track closed its
doors in 2008, officials announced that SpeedFest would move to
Lanier National Speedway in 2009.
The racing action kicks off with open practice for all Super and Pro
Late Model competitors on Friday, January 23. Saturday's schedule
includes two practice sessions and qualifying for each division. On
Sunday, January 25, the GAS PLM SpeedFest 100 goes green at 2:00 pm
followed immediately by the CRA SLM SpeedFest 200.
Lanier National Speedway is located at One Raceway Drive, Braselton,
Georgia 30517. For more information, please call the track at
770-967-8600 or visit
www.LanierSpeedway.com.
Speed51.com will be the "Official Website" for SpeedFest 2009, with
complete stories, updates and "behind the scenes" coverage. Sunday's
two feature events will also air live on
bigstickradio.com.
For more information about the Bill Elliott Driver Development
program, please visit
www.BillElliott.com. For sponsorship opportunities and media
inquiries with Casey Roderick and the Bill Elliott Driver
Development program, please contact Amy Umlor at 704-941-9182 or
amy@hmsworldwide.com.
About Bill Elliott Driver Development: NASCAR legend Bill Elliott
created the Bill Elliott Driver Development (BEDD) program as a
means to pay forward the years of support, guidance and hard work
from family, friends and fans that catapulted him to stardom in
NASCAR's top series. Based on the principles of teamwork, strong
work ethic and positive attitudes, the program aims to guide young
drivers through the highs and lows of life in auto racing. As a
mentor to the young drivers, Elliott hopes to groom them into
leaders on and off the track; to develop their media skills and
allow them to be comfortable in various public situations; to
cultivate feedback and communication skills to help them become
productive team members; and to provide seat time in various types
of racing equipment to develop their driving skills. The BEDD team,
which operates out of the Bill Elliott Racing shop in Dawsonville,
Ga., includes Chase Elliott, Casey Roderick, Mitch Cobb, Trey Poole
and John King. Please visit
www.BillElliott.com for more information on the Bill Elliott
Driver Development program.
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