Andy Santerre stumbled on a setup for Greenville Pickens Speedway almost by accident. The results, though, for Andy Santerre Motorsports at the tradition-rich half-mile oval have been pretty impressive.
"We've got a good notebook — better than most."— Andy Santerre
In the past three years that the NASCAR Camping World Series East has run at the South Carolina track, ASM has registered a pair of wins and a second-place finish.
Saturday, Santerre — the four-time series champion driver-turned series car owner — will bring his latest protégé to the track in the form of 16-year-old Brett Moffitt.
"We've got a good notebook — better than most," Santerre said. "It's been a good track for us. We enjoy going there. It's got a lot of history."
The track features its Late Model division champions along the outside wall, including the names of Ralph Earnhardt and David Pearson. It first hosted a NASCAR Camping World Series East race in 2006 and it has quickly become a launching pad not just for the impending season, but for young drivers looking to make their mark.
The first year, Santerre and driver Sean Caisse had struggled when they tested at Greenville Pickens. At the last minute, Santerre ditched everything and went with a whole new package. The result was the then-20-year-old Caisse led 69 laps en route to the victory.
The following year, Caisse led the first 75 laps and finished second to Joey Logano, then just 16. Logano, currently driving the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, became the youngest driver in NASCAR Camping World Series East history to win a race.
Last year, Santerre's cars of Peyton Sellers and Austin Dillon crossed the finish line 1-2. However, Sellers was disqualified for a shock violation found in post-race technical inspection, giving the 17-year-old Dillon his first career win.
"I guess we stumbled on a good setup and hit on it the first year at the last minute," Santerre said. "Basically, we've gone back with the same setup."
Now, it's Moffitt's turn to try to master Greenville Pickens right out of the gate.
"Brett's a great driver — he's got a lot of talent," Santerre said. "He's real quiet; he doesn't say a whole lot. He lets his performance say it all."
The Grimes, Iowa, driver got started in go- karts before moving up to race on dirt, where he won the Harris Clash at Iowa's Knoxville Raceway in 2007 — becoming the youngest driver to win a feature at the track.
Moffitt racked up five wins and rookie-of-the-year honors en route to a second-place finish last year in the ASA Late Model North Series.
He has tested at North Carolina's Hickory Motor Speedway and Virginia's Motor Mile Speedway in preparation for the upcoming weekend.
He had hoped to get some laps at Greenville Pickens when he entered the twin feature Late Model races on the track's opening night March 21. However, he was caught up in a multi-car wreck on the first lap of the first feature and wound up 20th. He came back to run 14th in the second feature.
"I'm anxious to get out and see what he's going to do behind the wheel of a Camping World car," Santerre said. "He looks good and is real smooth. He's a racer and has done a good job in every other series he's been in and I expect no different in coming to Greenville Pickens."
