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BUSCH: Phoenix: Jason Keller preview

Racing for a Cure-- As Jason Keller and his Albertsons Ford fight for position at Phoenix International Raceway, he'll have more than the NASCAR Busch Series Championship on his mind. A trip to victory lane on November 1 will reap a much higher ...

Edited: Apr 16, 2008, 12:40 AM

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Racing for a Cure-- As Jason Keller and his Albertsons Ford fight for position at Phoenix International Raceway, he'll have more than the NASCAR Busch Series Championship on his mind. A trip to victory lane on November 1 will reap a much higher reward that helps fight against Breast Cancer. With a win at Phoenix, Yoplait Yogurt will donate $100,000 to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation on behalf of Keller's sponsor Albertsons. Yoplait will donate $75,000 if Keller finishes second, $50,000 for third, $35,000 for fourth and $25,000 for fifth.

Quotes:

Phoenix International Raceway-- The Albertsons team has finished in the top 10 in three of the four NASCAR Busch Series races at Phoenix International Raceway. Keller finished fourth in last year's event after running the final four laps under caution on a flat left-front tire.

"I really like Phoenix," said Keller. "I've run extremely well on the flat tracks this season so I'm optimistic about our chances this weekend. We are taking the same style car that I ran at Memphis and a similar style chassis that I ran at Milwaukee, so I am comfortable with the Albertsons Ford I will be driving. We had momentum leaving Memphis and lost a little at Atlanta, but Phoenix is a track that we could gain it all back.

"Last year at Phoenix we finished fourth and it translated into $35,000 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I would love nothing more than to put the Albertsons Ford in victory lane and put the Foundation $100,000 closer to a cure for Breast Cancer."

The title chase-- After a disappointing finish in Atlanta, the Albertsons team head to two strong tracks and one unknown. Keller sits just 35 points behind the NASCAR Busch Series point leader David Green. This is the closest Keller has been to the title in his tenure on the circuit with three races remaining.

"We dodged a bullet at Atlanta," said Keller. "The other drivers keep leaving the door open, but we just haven't been able to capitalize. I'm excited about heading to Phoenix and Rockingham. We have seen a tremendous amount of success at both race tracks and that should help us rebound from our 15th-place finish at Atlanta. Although we didn't have the finish we wanted, the effort by the team was tremendous. Our pit stops are better then they have ever been and so is our communication.

"I've run well at Phoenix every year I've been there and I've won at Rockingham. Neither one of those tracks is going to be easy, but it helps knowing I can run well there. Homestead is going to be the unknown in all of this. It is going to be a level playing field for each team. I haven't worried about Homestead and that has allowed me to focus on the two things that I know - Phoenix and Rockingham."

Phoenix Notes:

* The Albertsons team has three consecutive top-10 finishes at Phoenix International Raceway including a fourth-place effort last year.

* The team will be taking the car they ran earlier this season at Rockingham, Dover and Bristol.

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