Mooresville, NC | 12-02-2005

Billy Ballew, owner of Billy Ballew Motorsports, announces Kyle Krisiloff will drive the No. 15 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the 2006 season.  The 19-year-old Krisiloff competed in the NASCAR Busch Series and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) this past season as part of the Hendrick Motorsports driver development program.

“We’re very pleased to bring Kyle Krisiloff on board,” said Ballew.  “We’re extremely excited about this opportunity that presented itself to us for 2006.  After such a successful 2005 season, we look forward to continuing our success in 2006 with Kyle behind the wheel.  Although he’s never driven a NASCAR Craftsman Truck before in competition, we look for good things to come from this young man.  We’re behind him 110 percent, with our goal of capturing the rookie of the year award for him.”

“I’m really excited to get this opportunity to compete with Billy Ballew Motorsports,” said Krisiloff, a native of Indianapolis, Ind.  “It’s been a long time since I’ve run a full year and with the great team I have I know we’ll run well and have a great time.  Obviously, one of our biggest goals is for me to win rookie of the year.  It will be a big rookie field with some tough competition, but we should be really good.”

Over the last couple of years, Krisiloff has competed in three NASCAR Busch Series races and in 17 ARCA events, which has introduced him to the heavier stock cars that are similar to the machines he’ll race on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit.  He accumulated two poles and eight top-10 finishes, including one victory at Chicagoland Speedway in ARCA competition in 2004, collecting his first win in a stock car.

“During those three Busch races, I kind of got a taste for what it will be like when I get into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series,” Krisiloff continues.  “The cars are similar and definitely the competition is tough at both levels.  It’s going to be fun and I’m anxious to start the 2006 season.”

Krisiloff’s driving experience is vast, having started in BMX competition at the age of three, the youngest rider ever to do so.  He then moved on to quarter midgets where he racked up nine Grand National Championships and over 320 feature wins from 1995 to 1999.  Krisiloff won two races and a pair of pole positions in Shifter Karts competition in 2000 before tackling the SCCA Formula Ford tour in 2001. He won six events and six pole positions in 21 races, en route to becoming the youngest Formula Ford National Champion ever.

In 2002, Krisiloff made the switch over to the CART Toyota Atlantic Series and became the youngest ever competitor in the series.  In 2003, he once again competed in the CART Series and again, proving age and experience were not much of a factor, became the youngest competitor to earn a podium finish by finishing second at The Milwaukee Mile.  He then switched over to stock cars after signing a driver development deal with Hendrick Motorsports.  Krisiloff competed in the now-defunct ASA Series in 2004, placing in the top-20 four times in 10 races.

Billy Ballew Motorsports, which was formed in 1996, finished fifth in the final 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Owners Standings.  The amazing feat was accomplished with the utilization of eight different drivers in the No. 15 truck, which included the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch and the 2004 and 2005 NASCAR Busch Series Champion Martin Truex, Jr.  Busch had the most success in the No. 15 Chevrolet, capturing three victories, one Bud Pole and nine top-10 finishes in 11 starts.