Matt McCall Ready for Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 29, 2010) - Matt McCall is excited to climb behind the wheel of his No. 23 Toyota Camry in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown today at Southside Speedway. This is the first time McCall will compete in the invite-only 250-lap event featuring several NASCAR and local late model stars.

"It's a good opportunity to have the chance to race against Cup drivers, especially at a level that I probably have more experience than some of them do," said McCall. "It is a unique opportunity to race against people like that. It's not only the best of NASCAR, but it's the best of the late model drivers too, so it's going to be a pretty exciting race."

In preparation for the Showdown, the 2009 UARA Champion tested at the .333-mile oval on Sunday. "The main goal was to see the track and get a couple of laps because we had never been to Southside before. I have never seen a track so flat and so small in my life, so it will be interesting with 30 cars out there. Overall, the test went pretty good; we made a couple of small adjustments. It is hard to have a true reading of where we are at because the track was still a little wet due to the rain, but I feel like we will be pretty close."

McCall will take to the track today thanks to his sponsors and partners, including Riderswholesale.com, Denver Marine, Ranger Boats and Pistone LTO Racing Chassis. "I am so thankful to have my sponsors on board tonight," said McCall. "I couldn't do this without them. I am looking forward to a great race."

Gates open at Southside Speedway tonight at 4 p.m., and the race begins at 7:30 p.m. Live at-track coverage will continue during the race on Race22.com.

About Matt McCall:

Matt McCall made history in 2009 when he became the first repeat champion in the long history of the UARA series, winning in both 2005 and 2009. McCall was a final-four participant in the "Roush Racing Gong Show" on Discovery Channel in 2005, which led him to become a part of the Robert Yates Racing driver development program. McCall made two starts in the ARCA series along with five NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts. In 2007 McCall was named NNS setup driver for Carl Edwards. In addition, McCall boasts a very successful short track career. McCall has won races, championships and pole awards at short tracks along the east coast, including the renowned Bristol Motor Speedway and local track Hickory Motor Speedway.

McCall is currently seeking sponsorship for the remainder of the 2010 season.