In an attempt to move its NASCAR sponsorship program closer to Victory Lane, Northeastern Supply Company officials have decided to move their financial support for the 2001 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series season over to PPC Racing and popular driver Jason Keller.

Keller enjoyed a banner 2000 season, finishing second in the Busch Grand National Series championship points race to fellow PPC Racing teammate Jeff Green.

In his 32 starts, Keller, a Greenville, South Carolina native, posted one win, 13 top five and 19 top ten finishes. Amongst his top five efforts, Keller was a runner-up finisher twice (at Bristol, TN in August and at Dover, DE in September) and finished third three times (at Loudon, NH, Nazareth, PA and Rockingham, NC in October). Jason also completed nearly 98% of all laps run during the 2000 season and led 105 of them. He boasted a tenth place average finish for the year, again second only to teammate Green.

Jason has posted four victories over his 10 years of Busch Series competition, seven of which have been full seasons. He has finished in the top ten more than 70 times in just over 220 starts, or basically once out of every three races. He has earned more than $3,000,000 in prize money for his career.

Keller drove the #57 Excedrin Chevrolet Monte Carlo in 2000 but will switch to a Ford Taurus next season when Albertson's, the nation's second largest supermarket chain, takes over as the team's primary sponsor.

"We have watched Jason compete for several years and know that we are getting involved with one of NASCAR's most intelligent and consistent drivers," said Steve Cook, Northeastern Supply Company President. "Jason always has a knack of running up front and putting his car in position to win. He knows what it takes to get the job done, and we are excited about our new direction for 2001 and our chances to finally get into Victory Lane. Competing for the race team that will probably finish 1-2 in the final 2000 season points race was also a deciding factor in our decision to move our sponsorship," Cook added.

The decision to move the Northeastern Supply sponsorship to Keller had as much to do with Keller's personality off the track as it was for his prowess on it.

"We have had the fortune of having Jason attend some of our customer entertainment functions at the race track in the past, and we recognized his ability to be personable and warm to everyone around him. He will certainly be a welcomed addition to the Northeastern Supply Company Racing family, and we're confident that he will finally put Northeastern Supply Company into Victory Lane," Cook ended.

The 2001 season will mark Northeastern Supply's fourth straight year of full-season associate level sponsorship in the Busch Series and the ninth overall in some support capacity.

The company was an associate sponsor this past season with up-and-coming driver Hank Parker, Jr. and his Team Marines Racing organization. That followed two full campaigns as associate sponsor with veteran racer Phil Parsons. Prior to the 1997 season, the Northeastern Supply Company served as a sponsor on a limited-race basis with several teams that boasted such high-profile drivers as Winston Cup Series stars Sterling Marlin and Kevin Lepage, and Busch Series veteran Tim Fedewa.

Jason Keller is married to Deborah and has two children, son Joe and daughter Jade. He and his family currently reside in Travelers Rest, SC. His ppc Racing organization is based in the Lakeside Industrial Park in Mooresville, NC.