Keller losing Busch sponsor at end of season

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Jason Keller managed to smile Thursday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway.

	Jason Keller

Sure, he was happy to win the pole for Friday night's Food City 250 NASCAR Busch Series race, but Keller had other things on his mind. His No. 57 ppc Racing team found out recently that sponsor Alberton's wouldn't be back in 2004, putting into question Keller's and crew chief Steve Addington's future with the team.

"It puts things for everybody in the air," Keller said. "We know what we want to do in a perfect, and that's keep everything the same: Me and Steve stay together for 15 more years. But as we get older, we realize sometimes that doesn't happen. We've got to cover our bases right now."

Keller said he has never been a "free agent" in his 11-year Busch Series career because he's only driver for two owners: his father Joe and his current car owner, Greg Pollex. But now, Keller has been forced to start working the phones, looking for rides.

"I've got to have a job in racing next year," Keller said. "What I want may be different than what I have to do. I don't know where to go from here, I really don't."

Keller and the team got the word from Albertson's, a grocery store chain, late last week. Keller has tried to keep things in perspective.

"It's unfortunate," Keller said. "But it's actually the longest sponsorship I've ever had in racing. You can't say a whole lot. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it goes.

"You try to do the sponsor a good job, and I feel like everyone here has. I feel like the everyone here has. I feel like the team's done their job, I feel like the driver's done his job. Unfortunately, their decision is not based on that. It's just the bottom line."

	The No. 57 Chevrolet will not have Albertson's as its sponsor after this season. Credit: Autostock

Albertson's chairman Larry Johnston called Keller to tell him the news and reassure Keller that it wasn't performance-related. Keller has won six races in the two-and-a-half years Albertson's has sponsored the team, including one this year. Keller finished third in the points in 2001, second last year and is third this season.

"He assured me that to any CEO in the country, he would go to bat for me," Keller said. "The bottom line is not allowing them to be back in racing right now."

Albertson's and ppc Racing signed a two-year deal that ended last year, but the company opted to extend it through this season.

Alberton's pullout means ppc is looking for sponsors for both its teams in 2004. Nesquik won't be back on Scott Riggs' No. 10 next year, either.

Riggs leads the Busch Series points standings by two over David Green, with Keller 96 out of the lead. Keller admits that the uncertainty of next season could affect the way his team handles the rest of this year.

"I hope I can wake up from this and land on my feet like a cat," Keller said. "The bad thing about all this - we're talking about 2004, but there's still a big chunk of 2003 left to go. My goal going into the year and going into the last five years was to win a championship. Whatever happens next year, I really hope it doesn't affect this year.

"But it's got to be in everybody's mind. These guys have got to have jobs, I've got to have a job, Steve's got to have a job. Indirectly or not, it's got to affect the program. Hopefully, we can go forward and not make it affect us too bad."