Sellers eager to shine in sophomore season on Camping World East Series

Peyton Sellers believes he is ready to pick up right where he left off last season on the Camping World East Series. And why shouldn’t he?

Last year, Sellers was running a largely self-funded operation. He started up his season out of his own pocket, got by with what sponsorships he could pick up and worried constantly about his lack of a backup car. One false move or an overanxious, yet financially backed hothead could have ended his season at any moment.

Yet, despite the cautious attitude that came with his cash-strapped endeavor, the Danville native still managed to finish third on the East Series last year — with four top-five and nine top-10 finishes to his credit.

But those days are gone now. And as the 2008 East Series season gets set to kick off at Greenville-Pickens Speedway today at 8 p.m., Sellers couldn’t be happier. He hooked on with Andy Santerre Motorsports, nabbed a primary sponsor — Casella Waste Systems Management — for his No. 44 Chevrolet and also recently re-signed with Strutmasters.com (one of his few sponsors from last year) for a two-race primary deal and an associate sponsorship for the rest of his races.

Sellers also has four cars in his stable now. Yes, life is good again.

“It gives me that extra bit of insurance to know that we can do what we need to do,” Sellers said. “I think we’re on top of our game right now. Andy’s got good stuff, and we’re going to give it our all for sure.”

With much of the financial burden lifted off of his shoulders, and with a year of experience under his belt, Sellers is looking to get right back into the swing of things tonight at Greenville-Pickens, where he will start the season as one of the favorites on the East Series.

“It’s a track where you really have to use a lot of patience,” Sellers said. “It’s flat, no banking and the asphalt is really worn.”

Sellers has previously run in three races on that worn surface, and feels even more confident this time around, particularly after getting to practice at the track for the first time in his career back in late March.

“We unloaded and went through a lot of different stuff,” Sellers said. “Our baseline setup was close, but it still took a lot of stuff.”

Still, Sellers knows that his one year of experience on the circuit doesn’t guarantee victory. And with returning veterans like Matt Kobyluck (fourth in points in ’07) and others still around to challenge him, Sellers doesn’t necessarily feel the need to place first anyway.

“Honestly, I just want to go out there and be competitive every week,” Sellers said. “We don’t have to win all kinds of races, we can be in the top two or three and that would be fine.”