The BDI Racing team and driver Michael Pope have all competed at Braselton, Georgia's Lanier National Speedway in the past. Both have seen strong runs at the tricky 3/8-mile oval and BDI Racing has visited victory lane there in the Pro Challenge Series. But, never before have the proven race-winning Chevy development team and the 19-year-old Late Model standout competed together at Lanier, let alone any other track in the Southeast.

With success at Lanier in both the team's and the driver's pasts individually, collectively the results should be more than favorable come this weekend's SpeedFest 2009 CRA Super Series-sanctioned Super Late Model event at Lanier.

Pope will make his debut in the BDI Racing #51 Chevy Impala SS for team owner and SPEED television broadcaster Bob Dillner at SpeedFest 2009, an event that the young racer has been anticipating since joining the team in December.

“I'm really excited for SpeedFest,” said Pope. “We've got some new guys in the shop that I've gotten really close to and bonded with a lot over the past week. That makes me even more excited for this race. Everyone with BDI Racing and all the guys in the shop are going into this race right there with me and we're all excited to go to SpeedFest. Hopefully we can go down there and run well and put ourselves in position to win.”

BDI Racing recently added Pope's driving abilities as well as naming veteran Crew Chief Jerry Babb to the head wrench position with the team, creating a new-look team with the same desire for success that the BDI Racing team was founded on.

“The entire team has gelled nicely. They are all professionals, but Jerry (Babb), Dustin (Archer, car chief/engineer) and the guys get along so well too. That is really great to see because we have a great driver in Michael that I know we can win with this year. I can't emphasize enough how good of a kid Michael is. We are looking forward to Lanier and other races with him behind the wheel of one of our Late Models and other drivers joining our team as well.”

The 200-lap SpeedFest event will be the longest Super Late Model event of the young driver's career, but it's a challenge he is more than willing to accept.

“I've only run Pro Late Model races at Lanier in the past, so this will be my first Super race there. I ran one 150-lap race there before, but just having 200 laps should be a lot more fun. It's a long race, so we're going to have to be patient for the first half of the race and put ourselves in position to go for the win later in the race.

“With the competition level at this race, it should be a tough race, but I know that I'm with a really good team that's more than capable of racing with and beating the best teams in the Super Late Model world. I'm excited about SpeedFest to show what we can do together.”

Green flag for the SpeedFest 200 will fly on Sunday afternoon, January 25th at Lanier National Speedway. Practice and qualifying events will be held on Saturday, January 24th , preceded by a practice-only day on Friday the 23rd.

SpeedFest 2009 will kick off the Super Late Model division of BDI Racing's operations for the 2009 season. Pope will pilot the #51 Chevy for more races throughout 2009, including the Easter Bunny 150 PASS South event at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

While Pope's exact schedule will be announced at a later date, further driving opportunities with BDI Racing remain open for other racers throughout the 2009 season. BDI Racing's stable includes a fleet of three Late Models, state of the art equipment and an all-purpose team transporter, all housed in a 10,000-plus-square-foot shop in Concord, North Carolina, the home of all things stock car racing.

BDI Racing currently has openings in its #51 Super Late Model for big early-season events such as Florida Speedweeks at New Smyrna Speedway and The Rattler at South Alabama Speedway, as well as races throughout the 2009 season.  Inquiries from funded and qualified drivers are welcome by contacting Matt Kentfield at 704-788-2134 ext: 5 and matt@bdiracing.net .

Based in Concord , North Carolina , BDI Racing is a full-service short track development team that offers a “total package” approach to building strong racers both on the track and off.  BDI Racing has a full fleet of cars from Quarter Midgets, Bandoleros, Legends Cars, Pro Challenge Series cars and Super Late Models.  Several house drivers, including Michael Pope and Meghan Dillner, make up the core of the BDI Racing development program, but opportunities are available in all facets of BDI Racing's organization for the entire 2009 season.

Marketing opportunities for the BDI Racing team and its driver development program are currently available for events 2009, as well.  For more information on how partnering with BDI Racing can provide a multitude of benefits for companies of all sizes, contact the team at (704) 788-2134 ext: 5 and visit the team online at www.bdiracing.net .