Australian Driver Owen Kelly Pilots First of Two Races in No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota at Road America

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In: Xfinity Series News

This week the No. 54 Monster Energy seat will see a new driver when 36-year-old Owen Kelly tackles the first of two scheduled NASCAR Nationwide Series road-course races, Road America and Mid-Ohio, in the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) winning Camry. Kelly, an Australian V8 Supercar driver, along with the six-time 2013 JGR winners look forward to week 13 running the Johnsonville Sausage 200 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. Despite the team’s fourth-place finish last week at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, the Monster Energy team and owner J.D. Gibbs maintain first place in the series’ Owner’s Championship points. This week they look to extend that lead with the help of Kelly, eager to finally race a road course car that he prepares for the weekend.

From Tasmania, Australia, Kelly is a known professional race car driver who started his circuit racing career in Targa Road Rally with Formula Ford Racing for three seasons, then progressed to V8 Supercars in 2000. From there he has raced in Super Touring, V8 Supercars and NASCAR Grand Am Rolex Sports Cars and Late Models. Late in the 2007 V8 Supercar season he was picked up as a full-time driver for Paul Morris Motorsport replacing Fabian Coulthard.

In 2008, Kelly raced an asphalt late model, for Dale Earnhardt Jr., at Motormile Speedway in Radford, VA. He wanted to pursue a career in NASCAR and hoped to move up the ladder while securing the necessary experience. In June 2010, Kelly made his NASCAR debut in the Nationwide Series, driving for Baker Curb Racing at the 4.05-mile Road America road course, where he started ninth and finished fifth.

In 2011, Kelly prepared the race winning Road America car of Marcos Ambrose and Richard Petty Motorsports. Last year Kelly piloted the No. 54 Monster Energy Camry for Kyle Busch during practice and qualifying sessions in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the famed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve track. Since then he’s raced six times in Australian V8 Supercars and in a New Zealand V8 SuperTourers racing series and has focused time on his athletic training to be sure he was in the best physical condition for his next NASCAR opportunity.

This year he’ll make two attempts at finally preparing and racing the car that he sets up with a Nationwide Series team, hoping this weekend’s Wisconsin start with Joe Gibbs Racing and the winning No. 54 team will give him the opportunity he’s been seeking for a first NASCAR Series win.

KBM/JGR PR

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