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CONTACT:    Tom Baker

                        Full Throttle Motorsports Marketing

                        901-606-4509

                        racingisfun@bellsouth.net

GIESSEN FLIES SOUTH FOR THE SUMMER TO RACE IN UARA-STARS LATE MODEL SERIES

Deer Park, NY – Nine-time WKA Manufacturer’s Cup National Champion Mike Giessen, 17, of Deer Park, NY has joined forces with the Raleigh, NC based T&R Motorsports team and driver Tony Grady to run for the rookie of the year honors in the UARA-STARS Late Model Series this season. 

The 16-race series, which runs mostly in North and South Carolina along with Virginia and Tennessee, consists of 16 races in Late Model stock cars with over 500 horsepower under the hood.  Last year, Rusty Wallace’s son Stephen won the rookie of the year honors and Giessen hopes to do the same in 2005.  T & R Motorsports driver Tony Grady is a veteran of over 250 feature wins while Crew Chief Butch Springfield grew up working on and racing sprint cars and has also had wrenching experience in Busch and ARCA series racers as well as time behind the wheel of a Formula Ford car. He’s won many races in and out of the driver’s seat over the years.

 “I just can’t believe this is happening,” Giessen said of the chance to move a step closer to his NASCAR dream.. I went down and tested with Tony and Butch a couple of weeks ago and I felt very comfortable in the car.  They were very patient with me and let me work up to speed slowly at my pace.  I look forward to being Tony’s teammate and learning from both him and Butch.  I can’t thank them enough for this opportunity. I also have to thank my Dad, Prospeed Kartsports and Dave Ciardulo of Deer Park Sand and Gravel for supporting me in so many ways all these years because I sure wouldn’t be where I am without them.  I can’t wait to get to Hickory on March 19^th for the first race!”

Mike plans on keeping his hand in karting as time permits.  “We’ll still be running a few shows here and there for Gary, Chris, and Tim Lobaugh and MRP Racing when we can.  Birel is still the best and I don’t ever want to forget where I came from.  I definitely owe Lynn Haddock, Chris, Tim., and Gary an awful lot for all they’ve done for me, and I love karting so we’ll still be as much a part of it as we can.  Our new website should be online in a few weeks at http://www.mikegiessen.com/ so I hope everyone will check it out and keep track of our progress!”