Even though he has two new drivers, Cherryfield’s Andy Santerre feels his Andy Santerre Motorsports tandem of 24-year-old Peyton Sellers and 18-year-old Austin Dillon can be in the hunt for the Camping World [Busch] East Series championship this season.

The season gets under way April 19 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway (S.C.).

“I feel we have a shot at the championship with either one of them,” said Santerre. “Peyton is a great driver from a great racing family who has had a lot of success. Austin doesn’t have a lot of experience but he’s got a lot of talent and he won a dirt [track] race last weekend against the best of the best.”

Dillon, the grandson of legendary Sprint Cup Series owner Richard Childress, will also be in contention for rookie of the year.

Sellers finished third in the Busch East Series last year with just one car and working out of his family’s garage.

“It was quite a success story,” said Santerre.

Sellers, a former rookie of the year in three different series with more than 30 career wins in NASCAR-sanctioned races, is the top returning finisher. Champion Joey Logano and runner-up driver Sean Caisse have left the series.

Caisse raced for Santerre last season and his teammate, Jeffrey Earnhardt, finished fifth in points. Earnhardt will return to the series with another team.

Sellers capped his 2007 season by finishing second in the Toyota All-Star Showdown for the Busch East and Busch West drivers.

Santerre said testing has gone well for his two drivers, who have 11 cars available for them.

“We have some Childress [Sprint] Cup cars we have converted into Camping World East Series cars and we have some of my cars and [equipment],” said Santerre. “We’re gearing up for the long haul.”

Santerre was the crew chief for Caisse last year but he won’t be a crew chief this season. He will be involved with the set-ups for both teams and will be at every race overseeing them.

Santerre said the 13-race schedule encompassing nine states is the “best we’ve had in a long time.”

There is nearly a month between the first and second races but Santerre said that’s beneficial because it will give them a chance to “see where we stand and regroup. And we’ll do a lot of testing.”

In other news, four-time Busch East champion Santerre said it appears the debut of the Old School Racing Championship tour for former drivers who won races in any of NASCAR’s three top series or who were successful in open-wheel series may be in jeopardy.

Santerre, who won a Busch race at Pikes Peak (Colo.) in 1999, could have entered six of the 10 races under the guidelines.

“I heard money was tight because that they couldn’t find sponsors and that they had only two cars built. They were supposed to build 20,” said Santerre. “My guess is that it’s not happening.”

On a brighter note, Santerre said his fourth annual charity snowmobile ride raised a record-setting $40,000 in February.

lmahoney@bangordailynews.net

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