Andy Santerre Motorsports Has Two Tough Runs at SoBo

CONCORD, NC (June 4, 2007) – Andy Santerre has been around the racing game for a long time. He’s done just about everything there is to do in the sport, so he knows that for as many banner days as a team can have in a season, there’s always going to be a time or two when things don’t necessarily go according to plans.

Saturday night at South Boston Speedway, everything seemed to be going the same way that the Andy Santerre Motorsports team have been used to – very good. Sean Caisse was quick in practice and qualified his #44 Casella Waste Systems Chevrolet on the outside pole for the NASCAR Busch East Series event. Also, young Jeffrey Earnhardt, a Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Development Driver piloting the ASM-prepared #1 Chevrolet, had a stout racecar and hoped for a strong result in the 150-lap event at historic South Boston.

Unfortunately for the ASM team, bad luck bit both Caisse and Earnhardt during the South Boston feature. Caisse ran up front, but contact with another competitor led to overheating issues that plagued the Casella #44 for the later stages of the race. Earnhardt also looked to be marching through the field from his 21st-place starting spot, but he also got bit by the bad luck gremlins. Still, Earnhardt was able to salvage a 20th-place finish, while Caisse soldiered his way to 27th.

“We definitely had a tough night,” said ASM team owner Santerre. “We were quick in practice and we qualified outside pole with Sean. We were okay in the race, but we missed it a little bit because the track got a little tight on us. We were still running fourth when we went to go by a lapped car that got loose or something and got into us and spun us. We didn’t hit anything and we were able to stay on the lead lap and we thought we were going to be okay.

“Then coming back up through the field, Sean got into a slow car that closed the radiator grille off and that caused some overheating issues. We just never were able to get it cool enough and we didn’t want to burn the motor down, so finally we came and took the time to get the motor cool so we didn’t ruin it. It cost us four laps in the pits, and from there we just kind of rode it out. It’s disappointing because we had a good car. We had a top-five car at the worst-case scenario. But we just didn’t get the finish we were hoping for.

“Jeffrey had a very similar race. He got spun by the same lapped car as Sean early. He came back and got up to 11th and there was a spin on the frontstretch that he didn’t see until too late and he ended up making contact with another car trying to get away from the wreck. So it was not that great of a weekend for us.”

The ASM team is already hard at work preparing both Caisse’s and Earnhardt’s machines for the next race in the NASCAR Busch East Series season, which comes in just a few days. On Friday, June 9th, the BES stars will make their first trip to the series’ home region of New England for the 150-lap event at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT. ASM comes into the event as the defending winner, as Sean Caisse set fast time and won the race last year.

“There’s a lot of work to do in three days,” said Santerre. “The trucks have to leave on Thursday, so we’ll get them ready as quick as we can. Sean ran real good at Stafford last year. He sat on the pole , set the track record and won the race. It will be a good race and we’ll be good, but Matt Kobyluck is always good there and I’m sure Joey Logano will be good just like he has been at every race this year, so we’ll have our work cut out for us, but I think we’ll have two good cars. We’re up for the challenge.”

The Stafford Motor Speedway Busch East Series event is scheduled to take the green flag at approximately 9pm on Friday, June 8th.

For more information on Andy Santerre Motorsports, contact Matt Kentfield at (704) 788-2134 and visit the new online home of ASM coming soon to www.andysanterremotorsports.com.

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