STERLING MARLIN SUBS FOR YELEY AND POSTS 15TH PLACE FINISH TO EXCITE NORTHEASTERN SUPPLY CUSTOMERS AT DOVER RACE

To the delight of several hundred Northeastern Supply Company customers and employees, veteran NASCAR driver Sterling Marlin and his Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts/Northeastern Supply Company-sponsored race team overcame a pit road penalty to post a very solid, 15th place finish Saturday in the RoadLoans.com 200 NASCAR Busch Series race at the Dover International Speedway in Dover, DE.

Yeley, the regular driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series who is doubling this season in the #1 Miccosukee Busch Series car, sustained a back injury during the week. It necessitated a telephone call from team owner James Finch to his old pal Marlin who promptly replaced Yeley.

Marlin, a veteran of more than 20 seasons of Nextel Cup Series competition, was available after being recently let go by the defunct Ginn Racing Team on the Nextel Cup circuit when the organization merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

Marlin first gave the hoard of Northeastern Supply Company customers a thrill on Friday night and again on Saturday morning. The Tennessee native visited with them at the Northeastern Supply conducted hospitality tent each time signing autographs, posing for photos and answering questions. Marlin was a Northeastern Supply company sponsored racer for Finch’s Phoenix Racing organization back in 1995 for a race at Dover and was thus able to renew acquaintances during his visits.

Despite his injury, Yeley was also expected to attend the functions but had to cancel when he came down with what diagnosed as food poisoning

Marlin, however, stood in amicably for Yeley and went out and performed well on the Monster Mile for the Phoenix Racing team in Saturday’s Busch race.

Starting 20th after an average qualifying effort, Marlin ran in the 15th and 16th positions throughout most of the early going of the RoadLoans.com 200. He re-started the caution-filled race twice in the early-going in the 20th and 21st positions, respectively.

During another caution that came out on lap 130 when Kyle Krisiloff spun in the fourth turn and wrecked by himself down the front straightaway, Marlin’s Phoenix Racing team decided to gamble and only put on two tires during a subsequent pit stop with Marlin running 16th. It catapulted Marlin all the way up into the 6th position on the track, but a NASCAR official claimed that Marlin’s race car was out of the pit box when it was serviced and Marlin was ordered to yield the high position and came back in the pits for a stop and go penalty. Marlin re-started the race 20th on lap 133.

Marlin and his race team refused to wilt, however, and Marlin rallied at one stage to come out of the pits in 9th during yet another caution period when he again only took on two tires and gas. Though he did lose several positions over the final 28 laps, Marlin still crossed the finish line 15th behind race winner Denny Hamlin for the team’s best finish since road racing ace Max Papis finished third in Montreal, Canada in August.

“I really enjoyed racing for James (Finch) again and in getting together once again with the nice folks from Northeastern Supply and their customers,” Marlin stated. “I hope I gave a good account of myself and that the race team did a good job as well to give everyone something to root for,” he added.

Hamlin eventually rallied around Martin Truex, Jr. to re-gain the lead he held throughout the middle portion of the race and drove off to the victory despite battling flu-like symptoms. Truex, Matt Kenseth, Mike Bliss and Reed Sorenson followed Hamlin across the stripe at the checkered flag.

Yeley is expected to be back behind the wheel of the Miccosukee Gaming & Resort/Northeastern Supply Company Chevy this Saturday when the Busch Series moves to Kansas City for the running of the Yellow Transportation 300. That race is scheduled to take the green flag at 3 p.m. EDT with ESPN2 to televise the race live.