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Santerre A Perfect Fit

MOORESVILLE, N.C. - When Revolution Racing chief executive officer Max Siegel went looking for a competition director to head up his four-car stable in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East this season, he went looking for a proven professional: Andy Santerre.

Santerre, a four-time NASCAR East champion, will be the guiding light for the team's four young drivers that are a part of the 2010 NASCAR Drive For Diversity program.

Mackena Bell (19-years-old), Ryan Gifford (20), Sergio Pena (16), and Darrell Wallace Jr. (16), are four of the 11 Drive For Diversity drivers that will be under Santerre's tutelage this season. The four drivers were made it through the rigorous combine and testing process -- which will be the subject of "Changing Lanes",  an eight-part docu-series on BET Network that will air this summer.

"It's going to be a challenge," Santerre said."This is a great step for these young kids to come into NASCAR and we give them a shot of a lifetime. They get to drive for our team, which is a top-notch team and have great equipment. This is not about them bringing thousands of dollars to a team. It's about their talent. "

Talent is definitely something that Santerre has - both as a former driver and team owner.

During his 11-year career in what is now known as the K&N Pro Series East, Santerre won four consecutive championships from 2002-2005 and earned 23 wins, 85 top-five and 119 top-10 finishes in 166 starts.

Santerre also spent time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in the late 1990s, and was victorious in 1999 after returning from a broken leg he suffered at the start of the season at Daytona.

After retiring from driving following the 2005 season, Santerre's Andy Santerre Motorsports was one of the top teams in the East Series. Santerre's drivers, Sean Caisse, Austin Dillon, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Brett Moffitt and Peyton Sellers combined for 11 victories during that stretch.

Santerre joined Revolution Racing, a driver development team based outside of Charlotte in Mooresville, in 2009, after selling his team to Siegel.

"It was a no-brainer for me to come work here for Max," Santerre said. "Max Siegel has been instrumental in the Drive For Diversity program and bring minorities to the sport. He has become real well known and Max brings a lot of experience and ethnic background. Max is out there pounding the pavement and trying to get these drivers as much exposure as he can."

Santerre is also excited to have his drivers competing against some of the best in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. He's ready for his young stable to go up against the likes of defending champion Ryan Truex, a development driver at Michael Waltrip Racing. And against seasoned veterans like Matt Kobyluck and Steve Park.

"This K&N Pro Series East is going to be a good and very competitive this season," Santerre said. "All four of our drivers are very good drivers and very competitive."

Gifford, a former development driver at Richard Childress Racing, has already proven to Santerre that he's a racer. Gifford made four starts in the East in 2009 and finished in the top five three times.

"Both times my car won (Moffitt), he was second," Santerre said. "He's a great driver and has a lot of talent and is kind of the leader of the group."

Santerre, meanwhile, says Wallace Jr. is the fastest of his four drivers.

"He competed in UARA and is real good in late models," Santerre said. "Everywhere we've went, he's showed a lot of speed. We just need to get him used to driving these heavier cars and competing in longer races."

As far as Pena, Santerre knew nothing about the upstart driver from Winchester, Va. That is until Pena, in his NASCAR K&N Pro Series debut, put his car on the pole and finished second at the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in Irwindale, Calif., last month.

"I was totally shocked at how well he did," Santerre said. "He looked like a real veteran out there and did an amazing job. He ran wheel-to-wheel all night long with Joey Logano. It was really amazing that he could do what he did. He earned his spot for sure."

Santerre also has high hopes for Bell, who finished eighth in the super late model standings at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale with one top three and 10 top‐10 finishes.

"She's right there with the boys and here speed is right there," Santerre said. "I'm not worried about her at all, I think she'll come out of the box strong."