Racing in the Thursday Thunder Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway a month ago, Casey Roderick thought he was in for a routine night at the track.

Preparing to run his Legends car, nothing seemed to be particularly special about the evening. That was until Cindy Elliott, wife of championship NASCAR driver Bill Elliott, approached Roderick after the feature and asked the 16-year-old for his helmet size.

“

Casey Roderick is the genuine article. 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.

”

BILL ELLIOTT

"Yeah, it was weird that she was even talking to me. I mean we've talked because I'm friends with their son Chase [Elliott], but I didn't realize what she was doing until later," Roderick said.

The Elliotts made a phone call to Roderick's parents, David and Ginger Roderick.

"They wanted me to join their development team and the next morning we went to Dawsonville [Ga.] for a meeting at their shop," Roderick said. "I was just speechless. I can't believe I have this opportunity. I just appreciated him taking a chance on me."

Since announcing their partnership, Roderick has only made a handful of Late Model starts, but the teen has been racing since age 5, winning national championships in go-karts, Bandolero and Legends cars.

"Casey Roderick is the genuine article," said Bill Elliott, founder of his development program and 1988 Cup Series champion. "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."

As part of the development program, Roderick attended the McDowell and Cook Driving School, a partner of Bill Elliott Racing that gives racers driving lessons, techniques and shop preparation.

Elliott plans to continue testing Roderick in various types of equipment, from asphalt to dirt Late Model cars, as well as an ARCA car, for the remainder of 2008 and will make an announcement later this year about his plans for 2009.

Roderick, among the most successful drivers to compete on Atlanta Motor Speedway's Thunder Ring, where drivers such as Joey Logano, David Ragan and Reed Sorenson began their careers, said the chance to drive for Elliott is a dream.

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 Sorenson (22) and Logano (20).

“

I'm ready to do whatever it takes to further my career. I'll do whatever I need to do to get on the track.

”

CASEY RODERICK

But what sets Roderick apart from the other drivers his age is his gregarious personality and willingness to help fellow competitors on and off the track. Since 2005, Roderick has maintained the honors of most popular driver for the Thursday Thunder Series

Roderick is also the youngest Pro Series driver (13) in INEX history to win the Summer Shootout Series championship at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2006, a record previously held by Sorenson. He followed that up with another Summer Shootout Series Pro championship in 2007.

Roderick's career began one night sitting in the grandstands of Lamar County Raceway in Barnesville, Ga., with his father who raced mini stocks.

He was 5 years old and after the race his father asked the track owner if his son could race a go-kart.

"From that moment on, we raced there every Saturday night for six years. That was my home track," Roderick said. "That's kind of how it all started."

And today his family may soon be leaving their quaint town of Lawrenceville for Dawsonville so they can be close to the Bill Elliott Racing shop -- a place Roderick hopes will take him to NASCAR.

"I'm ready to do whatever it takes to further my career. I'll do whatever I need to do to get on the track," he said. "I'll do anything to race."