BAKERSFIELD, California -- 2004 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series national champion Greg Pursley, of Santa Clarita, Calif., will race for another NASCAR title in 2005, this time in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series.
Pursley, who raced to the 2004 Sunbelt Region and national championships at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway, will now drive the No. 70 Star Nursery/DZ Motorsports Chevrolet. The team kicks off its season Jan. 29-30 in the Copper World Classic at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway. The Phoenix race marks Pursley’s return to the Southwest Series, where he competed in 1999-2001.
“This is a great opportunity,” said Pursley. “I have a chance to return to the Southwest Series with a championship-caliber team and I can’t wait to get started. It’s an honor to return to the track as the reigning NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series national champion and I hope I can represent the title well.”
The Southwest Series now boasts several NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series regional and national champions among its ranks. Along with Pursley, the Southwest Series roster includes 1985 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series national champion Doug McCoun (No. 16 Camacho’s Cantina Chevrolet), 1984 regional champion Jim Pettit II (No. 03 Jim Pettit Racing Ford), 1991 and 1996 regional champion Eddy McKean (No. 19 Wide World of Maps Pontiac) and 2003 regional champion Rip Michels (No. 12 STOCK Building Supply Chevrolet).
Pursley’s previous Southwest Series team was also sponsored by Star Nursery and they have reunited for the 2005 campaign. Many other notable drivers have raced for the Nevada-based garden supply company in the Southwest Series, including 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Kurt Busch, 2004 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown winner Eric Holmes and NASCAR Late Model Stock Car standout Frank Deiny Jr. Pursley’s new team will be based at the Victory Circle Chassis shop in Bakersfield, Calif. Pursley’s father, Russ, will serve as crew chief.
Pursley’s best Southwest Series season was in 2000, when he finished 5th in the point standings with one win, five top-five finishes and one Bud Pole Award. Pursley has two Southwest Series wins to his credit, both at Irwindale. After one season in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series in 2002, Pursley raced in Irwindale’s Super Late Model division for the 2003-04 seasons.
