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A man portrayed as a genius at setting up and driving a race car is the first big name to commit to this year's 8th Annual Peterbilt 250 at Speedway 660 in Geary.

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New England racing legend and four time Busch East Champion Andy Santerre has confirmed he will be among those entering the track's marquee event on the Labour Day weekend.

The 39-year-old Santerre was born in Cherryfield, Maine; he last raced competitively on tour in 2005 when he wrapped up his fourth consecutive NASCAR Busch East Championship (now known as the NASCAR Camping World Series).

Santerre, who debuted on the series in 1993, holds the record for all time Busch East championships with four. He was also the NASCAR Nationwide series Rookie of the Year in 1998. He won his lone NASCAR Nationwide feature race at Pikes Peak in 1999.

At the end of the 2005 season, Santerre stepped out of the car and into management by running the Grizco Racing garage in a Busch East Series team. That stable is now Andy Santerre Motorsports, running out of Harrisburg, North Carolina.

ASM Motorsports has become a recognizable and successful name in the NASCAR Busch East Series. In 2006, under Santerre's leadership, ASM Motorsports guided sophomore driver Sean Caisse within striking distance of the championship.

Caisse has since attracted the attention of NASCAR's Kevin Harvick, who signed him to a driver development contract. ASM Motorsports is regarded as a top team in the series.

"Andy is one of the real good guys in the sport," said Chris Johnston, one of the co-owners of Speedway 660. "He's a popular guy with the fans and from what he's been telling us, he really enjoys interacting with the people wherever he goes. With his background, he will be somebody a race fan will find fascinating if they get a chance to meet him."

For his part, Santerre is excited about return to his roots in a Pro Stock car and competing against the best of the best in the region. That group will include his long time friend Kirk Thibeau, a former winner of the Peterbilt 250 and the winner of both legs of the Best of the Best racing series at Speedway 660 this season.

"For the past few years Kirk has been racing Pro Stock cars up there in Fredericton and for the past few years he's been telling me I need to go up there and race with them," Santerre said in a press release. "In the past, it's never worked out that I could be there. This year, we happen to have that weekend off and I needed a good excuse to get away. And there's no better place than my place in Aroostook County, which is not too far from the track." This will be Santerre's first race in Canada over his long career.

"I'm looking forward to racing in Canada, I have a lot of friends up in northern Maine and around the Canadian border," he said.

Santerre will drive a car prepared by the Graham Racing Team of Centreville with help from Thibeau who is based in Fort Fairfield. ME.

The Graham team are no strangers to Speedway 660. Thibeau won the inaugural Peterbilt 250 and is already guaranteed a spot in this year's race after winning the first leg of the Best of the Best 100 lap pro stock mini series.

"Andy is a class act and nothing short of a genius when it comes to producing competitive race cars," said Johnston. "So when he comes in, although the Grahams and Kirk will do a lot of the setup on the car, Andy is the kind of guy who can figure things out and make some changes in a hurry." Johnston said early predictions are that the 2008 Labour Day race could break the record of 44 entries set in 2006

"Andy will add a real top notch driver to the mix," Johnston said. "He isn't a huge name to the casual fan. He's someone racing fans will know of, but he is certainly a guy who could have a big impact on the race itself which, let's face it, is the show."

Johnston confirmed at least one more major name is currently in negotiations to race in the Peterbilt 250. But he stressed officials with the track are still in the discussion stage with the driver and gave no timetable for the announcement of the second driver.