News

May 3, 2008 - With his 29th place finish at Richmond International Speedway, Kevin Lepage recaptured the 20th position in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Point Standings, based upon the unofficial race results for the Lipton TEA 250 Friday night. Only seven points separate Lepage from the 19th position and the driver looks to keep the momentum going and continues his climb in the Driver Point Standings.

The Nationwide Series moves to the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval of Darlington Raceway for the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 on Saturday, May 9th.

"As a child my dreams had always been to race on Superspeedways. Racing in NASCAR has allowed this to happen and I have a career that I love. However, on Saturday afternoon every racer's concern was realized, as I caused "The Big One". After reviewing the tapes of the accident I realize I need to apologize to NASCAR, the car owners, my fellow competitors and most importantly the fans. I made a huge driver error by blending onto the racetrack in the wrong area. This caused a multi-car accident and changed the outcome of the race for many teams. I'm so thankful that no one was hurt considering the number of cars involved. In over 25 years of racing this was the biggest mistake I've ever made behind the wheel of a stock car and I promise that it will not happen again. It is such a terrible feeling knowing that NASCAR, the car owners, fellow competitors and NASCAR fans think this was a "bonehead" move and I certainly don't want anyone thinking of me in these terms. Speaking yesterday before reviewing the tapes of the accident made me look like a "heel" and there is not a single person to blame for this huge mistake except myself. I have worked very hard over the years to gain the respect of NASCAR, the owners, competitors and the fans and it will take a long time to gain it back after what happened. Once again I want to apologize to everyone involved. If I could replay the race, I would have used better judgment and let the pack go by before blending onto the racetrack."

Sincerely,

Kevin Lepage

April 21, 2008 - Driving his way to a 24th place finish in the Corona 200 in Mexico City, Kevin Lepage secured the 20th position in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Standings. Starting 42nd in the event, Lepage avoided troubles in a race featuring seven caution flags, including two red flag periods for a total of 28 minutes. Lepage's finish moved the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing up one spot to 27th in the Owner Standings for 2008.

"We didn't get the starting position we were looking for, but the car responded significantly better in the race than it had in practice or qualifying," said Lepage. "The second red flag caused us to change our strategy to that point, though in the end making those final stops allowed me to drive the car the way I needed to in order to avoid the on-track mishaps and finish in a position that moved us up in both of the point standings."

The NASCAR Nationwide Series moves from the road course in Mexico City to the high-banks of the Talladega Superspeedway for the Aaron's 312 on Saturday, April 26th. The event will be televised on ABC beginning at 2:30 PM Eastern.

April 15, 2008 - After running as high as the second position in the Bashas' Supermarket 200 Kevin Lepage moved up two spots to 21st in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Point Standings. Finishing 28th in the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing at Phoenix Lepage finds himself only 41 points out of the 20th position in the season standings.

"We had a great pit strategy going that put us in the second and third position on a couple of restarts, but the long green flag period in that latter-half of the race had us running with a lot of cars on newer tires and it left us with little time to get back up front towards the end of the race," said Lepage. "Had we caught an earlier caution towards the end we would have been in position to contend for our best finish of the year. Overall we had a good weekend and continue to move up in the standings. We'll take this momentum to Mexico City and look to get up into the top 20 in points."

The Nationwide Series heads to Mexico this week for the Corona Mexico 200 presented by Banamex at the Autordromo Hermano Rodriguez in Mexico City on Sunday, April 20th.

April 8, 2008 - Kevin Lepage displayed his veteran skills and experience, as he worked through adversity at Texas Motor Speedway, by bringing the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing home in one piece for a 31st place finish in the O'Reilly 300 Saturday. The finish moved the team up one spot to 27th in the owner point standings and continued the team's progression after each race this season.

"The important thing is we moved up in the point standings, stayed out of trouble and have no damage to the car," said Lepage. "We have used the same car for the past six races and can take it to Phoenix, where the track is more suited to this car's setup."

As the team continues their search for primary sponsorship for the season, the owners of Specialty Racing are not short on their appreciation for Kevin's performance this year. "We're very thankful to have Kevin driving our cars and can't say enough about his ability to see through the present and focus on the big picture," said Co-Owner and Partner Charles Shoffner. "Kevin has the great ability to get the best out of the car without pushing it beyond its limits. Our short-term goal is to be at every race until we get sponsorship and Kevin has played a huge part in meeting this goal by maximizing our resources and keeping our costs down in caring for our equipment as he has. Securing sponsorship will allow us to expand our operation and invest in additional equipment, which will ultimately give Kevin the opportunity to be more aggressive and drive up front for wins as he is fully capable of doing. We've asked a lot of Kevin by racing conservatively without the sponsorship funding it takes to race each week. However, we feel we are closer to sponsorship with every race and we know once we have it that Kevin will really shine and give the sponsor something to show for their investment."

The team will be in Phoenix this weekend for the Basha's Supermarket 200 on Friday evening. The event will be televised on ESPN2 at 9:30 PM Eastern.

FORT WORTH, TX. (April 4, 2008) - Kevin Lepage, driver of the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing, will be live on the air on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio at 1:00 PM CDT on Saturday, April 5, 2008. Lepage will be featured on "Press Pass" hosted by Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press and Steve Prost of the Motor Racing Network. Lepage will discuss with the hosts his runs to date in the 2008 season, provide his thoughts on running with an independent team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and preview the O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.

"Press Pass" airs on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio each Saturday from Noon to 3:00 PM Eastern and covers the sport of NASCAR from a reporter's perspective, welcoming top personalities, the best beat writers and veteran broadcasters from around the country. Listeners can call in and be a part of the show at 1-866-PIT-LANE (748-5263).

April 3, 2008 - Rain showers arrived today at the Texas Motor Speedway just minutes from the start of the qualifying session for Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series O'Reilly 300, leaving Kevin Lepage and Specialty Racing's No. 61 Courtyard by Marriott / Arlington Ballpark Ford Fusion in the 27th starting position, as NASCAR was forced to set the field by owner points.

Lepage, who was 32nd quickest in practice, was recognizably disappointed with the rainout of the qualifying session. "I was really eager to get this qualifying session in," said Lepage. "The crew made some significant changes to the car during the off week and we spent the practice session working on long runs and making small adjustments to dial in the car for the race. I felt we had something to show come qualifying and I'm quite certain we would have secured a great starting position. We'll sit down and work on a good strategy to get our Courtyard by Marriott / Arlington Ballpark Ford Fusion through the field. This is the best the car has felt in practice all year on this type of track and I'm looking forward to Saturday's race."

The team will spend the day on Friday in meetings discussing their race strategy, as the Nationwide Series garages will be closed to the teams until Saturday morning.

March 22, 2008 - After posting a 29th place finish in the Pepsi 300 at the Nashville Superspeedway, Kevin Lepage has moved up four spots to 22nd in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings. Specialty Racing moved up one spot to 27th in the owner point standings.

Lepage, who started 27th after the morning's qualifying session, stayed out of trouble while working through handling issues that plagued most of the field, in a race that featured only eight cars finishing on the lead lap. "It was a challenge to get the car dialed-in the way we needed to when there were only three caution periods today," said Lepage. "While we were expecting to finish much better today, we are pleased to continue our climb in the standings. We certainly want to win races, but it is a long season and we are focused on the big picture of finishing as high in the standings as we can. Moving up in the points each race is a reflection of the hard work we are doing and is important to our search for season sponsorship. I want to thank SKEETS for coming on board this weekend and appreciate their efforts to support the team."

The series has a rare weekend off next week and will return to the track for the O'Reilly 300 at the Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 5th

March 15, 2008 - Starting 33rd for today's Shaprie Mini 300, Kevin Lepage raced the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing into the 18th position and provided the team with their second top-twenty finish of the year. Rain forced NASCAR to red flag the race at lap 171 and 47 minutes later the event was officially ended.

Lepage's finishing position unofficially moved him up to 26th in the driver point standings and the team now stands unofficially in the 28th position in the owner point standings. "We have had four good weeks and have successfully managed to secure a points-based guaranteed starting position for next weekend's event at Nashville" said driver Kevin Lepage. "We have taken the same car to the track for the past four weeks and have had some good runs while caring for our equipment. We have progressed each week in the driver and owner standings and hope this will attract a sponsor to the team. With sponsorship secured we can continue to build on our performance, have a larger inventory of cars that we can better suit to the variety of tracks we race on and offer us a chance to truly show our capabilities as a team."

The crew will begin the week preparing for the upcoming Pepsi 300 at the Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, March 22nd. Meanwhile, the team looks to carry their momentum to higher levels, both on the track and in talks with potential sponsors.

STATESVILLE, N.C. (March 12, 2008) - As Specialty Racing's Kevin Lepage and Doug Taylor signed their agreement in February of this year to bring Lepage back to the organization, the driver and Co-Owner / Partner reached for the calendar and circled March 15, 2008. This Saturday's running of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Sharpie Mini 300 at the Bristol Motor Speedway marks the reunited pair's return to the site of their win together in 1998, when Lepage first drove for the team. While each race is as important as the other, returning to a track where a win was accumulated creates an additional level of excitement and focus back at the shop, as the team prepares for this weekend's event.

"Kevin and I had the ultimate success in winning at Bristol," said team Co-Owner and Partner Doug Taylor. "As we joined forces once again we commented to each other that this year's first race at Bristol would be that much more significant as a milestone of our season's progression. This race is very important to our team, particularly as we continue our search for sponsorship for this season. The Roush Yates Racing Engine program is providing us with great power, so our main focus will be on the handling of the car to translate that power to the track."

"I have been waiting to return to Bristol with this team since the beginning of the season," said Lepage. "Doug brings a great set up to Bristol and calls the right shots that have proven to put us in the winning position. Our team chemistry has continued to improve each week and although the end results in Atlanta were not what we had hoped for, our overall performance both on and off the track has also improved. We have high expectations for this weekend's race and look to secure a great finish at the Bristol Motor Speedway."

The team is completing their final preparations for Saturday's race and will arrive at the Bristol Motor Speedway early Thursday morning.

March 10, 2008 - Kevin Lepage drove the No. 61 Marriott Atlanta Gwinnett Place Ford Fusion to a 27th place finish, as weather once again affected the Nationwide Series race weekend. Rain cancelled Friday's first practice and snow showers cancelled Saturday's qualifying for the Nicorette 300 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The starting lineup was set by owner standings for the second time this season, having Lepage start in the 33rd position.

The weather improved in time for the start Saturday's race and the team looked to capitalize on a strategy placing them in the top-15 for seven laps, while the leaders had to pit for fuel. Lepage had to pit prior to a caution flag that placed him one lap down, narrowly missing the benefit the team would have gained from their strategy. The limited practice time proved crucial, as the team was unable to implement all the changes to the handling they had identified at the shop during the week.

"Our Roush and Yates Racing Engine performed flawlessly and had tons of power" said driver Kevin Lepage. "Unfortunately, the limited practice and weather played havoc with our setup and we were unable to put the power to its full potential. I want to thank the Marriott Atlanta Gwinnett Place for coming on board this weekend. It is a great facility and we look forward to working with them in the future. Once again, the pit crew, car crew and guys back at the shop did a great job and I know we will soon show our full potential"

With his 27th place finish Lepage and Specialty Racing have improved to the pivotal 30th position in the drivers and owners points standing for the 2008 season.

March 6, 2008 - Kevin Lepage finished 17th at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend, securing Specialty Racing's first top-twenty finish of the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. Starting 33rd on the grid and moving up as far as second place during the race, Lepage avoided troubles during the caution-filled race and held on for the team's best finish so far this year.

"Doug Taylor called some great shots on pit road to use a strategy to get us up towards the front during the race," said driver Kevin Lepage. "We continued to fight with a tight front end this weekend, but the pit crew kept us in the hunt all day with their quick stops. I'd like to thank the Penske pit crew for all their work on pit road. Our crew once again came through in giving me a good car to work with and I'm sure they've identified back at the shop this week what we needed to take care of to solve our handling issues. Our momentum continues to pick up and I'm looking forward to taking that to an even better finish at one of my favorite tracks, Atlanta Motor Speedway."

The team left the Statesville, NC shops this morning to head to Atlanta for the Nicorette 300 this Saturday.

February 25, 2008 - Kevin Lepage piloted Specialty Racing's No. 61 Ford Fusion to a 23rd place finish in the Stater Bros. 300 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. Starting 37th for the team's first race of the season, Lepage and the crew worked through the rain-postponed weekend and limited practice time to keep the No. 61 on the lead lap throughout the majority of the day, while avoiding any on-track mishaps.

"I'm very pleased with the team's efforts for our first race outing together in 2008," said driver Kevin Lepage. "We fought through a tight-handling condition with the car, which had much to do with our limited practice time caused by the weather delays. Our chemistry continues to remain solid each week, regardless of what challenges we may face and we're happy with how things are progressing. We were able to identify the changes we need to make to come out of the box quick in Las Vegas next weekend and believe we will have more to show for that race. Each week provides us the opportunity to highlight our progressions as a team and helps us position ourselves well in our continued sponsor negotiations."

The team will head to Las Vegas tonight and begin preparing for the Sam's Town 300 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

February 23, 2008 - Specialty Racing's Kevin Lepage will start 37th today in the Stater Bros. 300 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California. NASCAR had cancelled yesterday's qualifying due to weather and the lineup was set by points / entries for today's events.

"We are looking forward to showing what this team can do." said driver Kevin Lepage. "Coming up a bit short in Daytona's qualifying was disappointing, but the guys did a great job nonetheless and we continue to remain confident in this team's abilities. I believe our car would have qualified very well for today's race and the rain just got in the way. However, we are in the race, which is obviously very important as we keep working on obtaining sponsorship for the season, and we'll make the most of our starting position."

Specialty Racing plans to head directly to Las Vegas for next weekend's Sam's Town 300 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The team expects today's events will provide more sponsorship opportunities to further move on their plans to run the entire 2008 schedule.

February 13, 2008 - Specialty Racing's Kevin Lepage will be live on the air on Sirius NASCAR Radio this evening at 9:30 PM Eastern time. Kevin will join "The Late Show" with hosts Rick Benjamin and Monte Dutton. The show airs on Sirius NASCAR Radio from 9:00 PM to 12:00 AM Eastern time. Tune in and listen to Kevin's interview and catch the latest on this week's activities at Daytona at International Speedway.

February 10, 2008 - Specialty Racing's Matt Carter, who is driving for Larry Clement in Clement's owned 46 car in the ARCA RE/MAX series for 2008, finished 13th in the ARCA 200 at Daytona International Speedway Saturday afternoon. Carter, who qualified in the seventh position for his first race at Daytona International Speedway, continued to prove he has the abilities to meet each new level of challenge presented to him. Matt spent much of the evening running in the top-five and top-ten before registering his 13th place finish.

Everyone at Specialty Racing congratulates Matt on his performance over the entire weekend and wishes him continued success in his ARCA season.

STATESVILLE, N.C. (February 8, 2008) -Specialty Racing announced veteran NASCAR driver Kevin Lepage has signed with the organization to compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for 2008, driving the team's No. 61 Ford Fusion. Lepage will immediately begin driving for the team by attempting to qualify in the Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 16, 2008.

"We are extremely pleased to have Kevin back in our organization," said Team Co-Owner and Partner Doug Taylor. "Kevin is a proven winner and his experience provides a solid foundation for our team. He will be a great asset to us as a teammate to our other driver, Matt Carter, whom we expect to run in a second car as the season progresses."

Lepage first drove for the Channellock Team operated by Specialty Racing in 1998 and accumulated one win, one pole, seven top-fives, ten top-tens and led the team to a seventh place finish in the season's Nationwide Series Championship. He began his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in 1994 and finished 15th in his first race. He claimed his first victory in the series during the 1996 season. Kevin has competed in each of NASCAR's top-three series.

"I'm very excited to be back at Specialty Racing" said Lepage. "We have a great chemistry and I look forward to what we can accomplish in the 2008 season. My expectations are to compete for the Nationwide Series Championship title this year."

Specialty Racing and Lepage are in final negotiations to secure primary sponsorship for the full season and anticipate making a formal announcement in the near future.

Specialty Racing LLC is owned by Doug Taylor and Charles Shoffner and was reestablished in 2006 from the Doug Taylor Motorsports / Specialty Motorsports NASCAR team of the 1990's.

MILLINGTON, TENN. (October 27, 2007) - Matt Carter and Specialty Racing finishes 39th in a cautioned-filled NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park today. Carter, who was caught-up in an accident in front of him on the track, completed 129 of the 253-lap event. A broken oil line resulting from the accident ended the day for the team.

"Certainly, we had hoped for a better finish and our goal was to stay on the lead lap for the entire event," said Doug Taylor, Co-Owner, Partner and Crew Chief for today's event. "Matt did a great job qualifying the car in the field on time and ran very consistent times while on the track. We overcame a couple of mistakes, including a single-car spin and on pit road, where the catch can left pit road with the car, but the team stayed focused and Matt was able to regain the positions. We used a strategy to come in a bit early for fuel and tires and planned to stay out the remainder of the event. By our estimations we would have been running in the top-five after the cycle of pit stops for the field, had we not been caught up in an accident in front of us. While disappointed with the finish we are pleased with the overall weekend results in our return to the NASCAR Busch Series. The car, driver and team showed we can compete with the rest of the Busch Series teams and we look forward our future in this series."

"I want to thank NASCAR and Specialty Racing for the opportunity to run in my first Busch Series race," said Matt Carter, Driver of Specialty Racing's entry in the event. "The car felt good and the race strategy would have had us in position to run for a good finish. I had hoped to capitalize on a good qualifying session and run the full-length of the event to gain as much Busch Series seat time as possible. I'm obviously disappointed with the finish and I'm ready to run more Busch Series events to fully display my abilities."

Specialty Racing is currently working on their 2008 plans for the NASCAR season and is working towards running a full-time Nationwide Series schedule, with plans to include ten Sprint Cup events during the year.

MILLINGTON, TENN. (October 27, 2007) - Matt Carter, in his NASCAR Busch Series debut, qualified for the Specialty Racing's entry in today's Sam's Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Matt, who needed to qualify on time, lapped the .75-mile track in 23.457 seconds at 115.104 miles per hour. Starting 31st, Matt is the highest qualifier of all other drivers making their Busch Series debut at Memphis today.

STATESVILLE, N.C. (October 8, 2007) - Specialty Racing announced today they would make their 2007 NASCAR Busch Series debut at Memphis Motorsports Park in the Sam's Town 250 on Saturday, October 27th. Matt Carter, who is currently in contention for the Hooter's ProCup Series Championship, has been signed as the driver for the race.

"We are excited to return to the NASCAR Busch Series and look forward to running again in this competitive series," said Team Co-Owner and Partner Doug Taylor. "Our car has tested well on the track and in the wind tunnel and we believe Matt will do a great job behind the wheel."

Specialty Racing is owned by Doug Taylor and Charles Shoffner and was reestablished in 2006 from the Doug Taylor / Specialty Motorsports NASCAR team of the 1990's. During their last full season in the NASCAR Busch Series Specialty Racing gained one win (Bristol Motor Speedway), one pole, seven top-five starts, seven top-five finishes, ten top-ten finishes and finished seventh in the points championship.