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Historically, Keller hasn't had much success on the 2.5-mile trioval of Daytona International Speedway. In seven races here, his only top-10 was his seventh-place finish last year.
It was a different story for Keller this time.
"Man, that was really cool to run in the top-five spots there all day," Keller said on pit road after the race. "I've never done that in a superspeedway race. Our race team has really gotten stronger over the winter and for me to come here and run that well shows that.
"This is the first time we've had pit stops in race conditions. We practice all the time back at the shop. But, that's like hitting golf balls all day at the driving range. It doesn't matter until you get in the heat of battle.
"I'll tell you what, we just kept battling out there and ended up with a top-five. The car drafted really well even though it was really tight there at the end.
"I always like to see when the checkered flag falls. I've never been able to do that before at a superspeedway."
Keller, inded, has often been the bridesmaid of the Busch Series. In eight years of full-time competition, the Greenville, S.C., native has finishes of fourth, sixth, second and third, respectively, in the final points standings.
His second-place finish in 2000 came at the expense of former teammate Jeff Green, who has now moved to the Winston Cup Series. Last year, Keller finished third to Green's second and Kevin Harvick's championship.
Harvick has also committed himself to the Winston Cup Series, leaving the door open for Keller to make a strong run for the title.
"I've never started the season off in the top five," Keller said. "I really feel that our programs on the other race tracks is going to be a lot better.
"If it gets any better than this, we'll be real good."
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