Thursday, July 31, 2008

Bill Elliott Driver Development Program Adds Casey Roderick

Bill Elliott Driver Development Program Adds Legends Stand Out Casey Roderick to Stable of Young Drivers (Dawsonville, GA – July 31, 2008) The Bill Elliott Driver Development (BEDD) program announces today the addition of 15-year-old racing prodigy Casey Roderick to its stable of young drivers. Roderick joins current BEDD teammates Chase Elliott, Mitch Cobb, Trey Poole, and John King, who operate out of the Dawsonville, GA, and shop of Bill Elliott Racing. Next week, Roderick will participate in the McDowell and Cook Driving School, a partner of Bill Elliott Racing, which gives racers the advantage of in-depth classroom analysis of set-ups, driving techniques and shop preparation. Elliott plans to continue testing Roderick in various types of equipment, including late model and ARCA cars, for the remainder of 2008 and will make an announcement later this year about his plans for 2009. “Casey Roderick is the genuine article,” said program founder and NASCAR legend, Bill Elliott. “He’s won over 100 races and several titles, but more importantly, he has the attitude and work ethic it takes to be a champion in this sport. Up until now, it’s just been Casey and his dad running with one car, and now I’m excited to step in and help them take Casey’s career to the next level. We’re going to give him some opportunities that he may not have had otherwise, and he’s going to be a great teammate and supporter of our other drivers.” “Having the opportunity to drive for Bill Elliott is an honor,” said Roderick. “I’m really excited about it. I don’t think it could have come at a better time. This is definitely a dream come true for me and my family. I can’t think Bill enough for giving me this chance.” Roderick has been considered one of the most successful drivers to compete on Atlanta Motor Speedway’s (GA) Thunder Ring, where current NASCAR drivers Joey Logano, David Ragan and Reed Sorenson started their careers. Starting with his first Thursday Thunder Series Bandolero Bandits championship in 2003, Roderick has won six Legends titles at AMS. He also sits second in all-time career feature wins at AMS with 23 victories, ahead of both Logano (20 wins) and Sorenson (22). Roderick is also the reigning Most Popular Driver for the Thursday Thunder Series, earning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Roderick also holds the honor of being the youngest Pro Series driver (age 13) in INEX history to win the Summer Shootout Series championship at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Concord, NC) (LMS) in 2006, a record previously held by Sorenson. He followed that up with another Summer Shootout Series Pro championship in 2007. To say that Roderick has had an impressive career would be an understatement. His most notable accomplishments include the 2007 Legends Car Asphalt National Pro Championship, the 2007 INEX Pro National Points Championship, the 2007 Lanier National Speedway Legends Pro Championship, the 2007 Georgia Asphalt Series Pro Championship, the 2006 Legends National Pro Division title and the 2006 Governor’s Cup at Lanier National Speedway, the 2006 Mason-Dixon Meltdown Legends feature win at South Boston Speedway, and the 2006 Mopar-PRI Sprint & Midget Classic Legends feature win at Orlando SpeedWorld. For more information about the Bill Elliott Driver Development program, please visit www.BillElliot.com. For sponsorship opportunities and media inquiries with 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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