Jason Keller to Set Nationwide Record: 500 Starts

The Saturday race at Dover International Speedway will mark an important milestone in Nationwide's history, as Jason Keller is getting ready to become the first driver in the competition to start in 500 races.

The event, although expected, is not a sure thing. With Keller driving for a start-up team and with the three "did not qualify" during this season, some believe the event may not take place this week.

"It hasn't gotten any easier for sure," Keller said according to NASCAR. "The competitor in me just wants to make good quality starts. I felt like we were doing that before Darlington. So I'm really concentrating on the competition side."

Keller has 499 starts to his name, over a 20-year long NASCAR career. He drove for 12 owners, won 10 times, managed 11 poles, 83 top-fives and 175 top-10s (third all-time). His first start was on April 27, 1991, at Lanier Speedway, the 499th, last week.

"I remember that day, everything leading up to it, getting ready for it," Keller said about his first start. "That first start was at a track where I raced a lot. But I was so overwhelmed."

"I mean, I was racing David Green, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon. Those were guys I watched on TV. We qualified eighth, but I wrecked early. I remember paying my tire bill at the end of the race and thinking 'What just happened?' It was a whirlwind."