Keller

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Few drivers over the years have left Darlington Raceway without a Darlington "stripe" and even fewer can say they have conquered "the track too tough to tame."

One driver who hopes he can conquer the track in Saturday's Winn- Dixie 200 is Jason Keller, who has led just one lap in his previous 20 starts at the track. Darlington won the battle with Keller in his first 14 starts there as he posted only two top-10 finishes.

However, Keller has rebounded with a vengeance, scoring six consecutive top-10 finishes, as well as a career-best second-place finish in this race last year. He credits his recent success at the track to his first race there.

"You really have to have patience to be successful at Darlington, and that's tough to do when you're young," said Keller. "The first time I was at Darlington I went a lap down real early which was probably the best thing that could have happened.

"I got the chance to follow Harry Gant and Robert Pressley around the track for the rest of the race and learned a thing or two about Darlington. I don't know if Darlington can be tamed, but it sure is fun trying."

Keller's improved results at Darlington have coincided with his stature as a title contender. He has finished in the top 10 in points in each of the last four seasons, including runner-up finishes in 2000 and 2002.

"Darlington is a track where everything has to be perfect. You need to have a great set up, great pit stops and a tremendous amount of patience," said Keller.

A win could move Keller, currently fourth in the championship battle, closer to his first ever NASCAR Busch Series title. He knows that to win his first championship, he needs to be consistent every week and be in a position to capitalize if a driver ahead of him in points makes a mistake.

"There is still a ton of racing left to do this season," he said, about the title battle. "As a driver and a team we don't need to overanalyze the situation. We need to go out every week and do what we all know we are capable of accomplishing and that's winning races."

So, what would a win Saturday mean to the South Carolina native?

"A win at Darlington would mean more to me than winning at any other track on the circuit," said Keller.

With just 135 points separating the top five drivers, this year's battle for the Busch championship is the closest in series history with 10 races remaining. Any one of the top five drivers could be leading the standings following Darlington. The lead has changed six times in the last 12 races. After 24 races last season, the point spread between first and fifth was 343 points as Greg Biffle charged toward his first NASCAR Busch Series championship.

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