My name is Justin Sellers. I am twenty-seven years old. I have been working at Plass Appliance & Furniture Company for the past eight years. I started my career with Plass as a warehouse laborer and I am currently the Warehouse Manager. I believe in hard work, skill building, and winning.
I was born into an auto racing family. My father, Dave Sellers, raced at the Sycamore Speedway during the first twelve years of my life. He raced in two divisions: Spectator division and Late Model division. He was a successful racer, earned his reputation honestly, and was respected by his peers and fans.
I have tried to continue the path Dad forged in auto racing. I really love racing, as my six years at the Sycamore Speedway attests. I raced my original car in the Spectator division for the first three years (1999-2001). After my third year in Spectator, Dad and his racing friends agreed that I was qualified to move up to the Late Model division.
We purchased Old #34, a Camaro, from a neighbor, prepared it for the track and raced it in the Late Model division during the 2002 season. Our motor was awesome. However, the chassis gave us handling problems during the whole season. We finished the season, but we did not rank very high. I did get a lot of seat-time, and had fun. In addition, I recieved the "Rookie of the Year-2002" Award from the Sycamore Speedway.
During the winter of 2002, Dad successfully recruited several of the sponsors and pit crew members that he had worked with in his racing days, and created "The Team". The Pit Crew is made up of young and not-quite-so-young people. They are extremely familiar with past, current, and future racing philosophy, machinery, and problem solving techniques. 2003 was our most rewarding year for the "Team". We solved most of the chassis problems and finished the season ranked 12th in a field of 45. I also recieved an award for "The Most Improved Driver-2003".
We found out the hard way that we had to lighten our car or never be competitive. During the 2003-2004 winter we went to work on it. We installed a new roll cage, new roll bars, and spent many hours to get it right . The finished product was a new, light, and sharp looking race car, #99. The chassis was almost perfect, but during the 2004 season we were handicapped with motor problems, something we were not used to. We never gave up though, and we completed the season with a rank of 14th in a field of over 60.
In 2005, we showed great promise. We proved to ourselves that it could be done. We started the season a little slow but finished an impressive 6th place in a field of 50 cars. We also recieved an award for "The Best Maintained Car" from Sycamore Speedway.
2006 pretty much speaks for itself. LATE MODEL CHAMPS!! We didn't walk away with the trophy. It was alot of hard work and a little good luck. The pit crew kept the car in almost perfect shape and that's what brought home the 5 foot trophy.
In 2007 we tried our hand at a new track Lasalle Speedway. It was quite a challenging year, however we finished a respectable 7th place in a field of twenty. I guess we surprised the regulars that a Camaro can and did run with the metric cars.
I could not be writing this if it were not for the physical help and psychological support of my "Team", family, and friends. I cannot thank them enough or tell them how much they have influenced me.
With them and the support of all my fans.
Sincerely, Justin Sellers #99
