WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. (January 9, 2011) - Davey Pennel was one of 12 drivers selected to compete in the Richard Petty Driver Search. For his involvement the 16-year-old Dells Raceway Park (an ASA member track) late model driver from Sparta, Wis., will appear in next month's Speedway Illustrated.

Garnering some extra exposure in a national publication will give a big boost to the racing operation, Pennel said. "It was pretty cool. It's nice to know the guys at Richard Petty thought of me out of the other 36 guys they had previously," he said.

Pennel, who was the youngest competitor, hopes the right eyes come upon the article. "Hopefully this lets some sponsors or car owners know that I'm out there. It gets my name out there if I ever do start going up the ranks."

The Richard Petty Driver Search tested the fortitude of a future racing star. Pennel was tested both on and off the track. He was tested in car control, lap times, endurance and other team building exercises. They even put him in front of a camera. "We did some commercials. I guess they wanted to see how good we were in today's market," he said.

In order to get involved, Pennel said he got some advice from a friend. "One of my buddies from Madison, Vern Fagerberg, had done the first one and he said it was a cool experience and definitely worth the money. My mom also saw it on the internet. We applied and didn't figure we would get accepted, but we did," he said.

To learn more about Pennel's experience at the Richard Petty Driver Search pick up a copy of next month's Speedway Illustrated. Subscriptions are available through www.speedwayillustrated.com.

For more information on Pennel visit www.daveypennel.com.

For more information on the Richard Petty Driver Search visit www.pettydriversearch.com.