Kelly Bires

Birthdate/Hometown: August 25, 1984; Mauston, WI

Marital Status/Children: Single; None

Sponsors: Clorox, Glad, Snap-on, Ford Racing, International Comfort Products, Sherwin-Williams

Crew Chief: Scott Zipadelli

The No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion team at JTG Racing are anxiously awaiting the 2008 season.

Like most hot-shoe drivers, this Wisconsin native got the racing bug early by nailing
down two Regional Karting Titles by the age of 12 and two National Titles by 14.  He entered the Allison Legacy Car Series at 15 and in two years, he won the two most prestigious awards. In 2000, he was Rookie of the Year. In 2001, he was the Series Champion. Clearly, Bires has a pretty short learning curve when it comes to going fast and turning left.

After moving up to the late model ranks in Wisconsin in 2002-2004, Bires ran completely for two years locally before moving to Charlotte to pursue a career in NASCAR.   After working in a Busch the shop and learning all of the ins and outs of cars for a year and half, Bires returned to Wisconsin in 2005, anxious to kick-start his late model career once again.

It was to the detriment of his competitors when he showed up in the ASA Late Model
Series in 2006. His stunning performance speaks for itself—seven wins, four poles, 15
top-five finishes and none out of the top-10 in seventeen starts. Without question, he
was the run away winner of the Rookie of the Year Title.

JTG Representatives took notice of his dominant year and signed Kelly to drive one of
their two Craftsman Truck Series entries in 2007. In a major plus for Bires, he received
tutelage from veteran Mark Martin, who teamed with him earlier in the year in the
truck series.  A mid-season opportunity allowed Bires to finish out the year behind the wheel of the No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Busch Series. The rookie sensation made his debut at the Meijer 300 race at Kentucky, where he wowed his competitors by finishing 7th after starting 26th. It became real clear that Bires and the No. 47 team were a perfect pair. Bires finished his promising rookie season earning two top-10 finishes.

No signs of a sophomore slump in the No. 47 garage. JTG Racing expects more big
things to come from this talented young driver.