In his other business, the one that enables him to drive a Mercedes and live in a 7,000-square foot home on a golf course in Liberty Twp., Gary Keller has a truck with “Are you flooded?” written on the side and a picture of a house being washed away.

“Our work is spontaneous,” Keller said. “Trucks are visible.”

Yes, the disaster services game (mold remediation, water restoration, etc.) has been kind to the 56-year-old Beavercreek native, but his passion for NASCAR Sprint Cup racing is what fuels him.

That’s why Keller, who co-owns Cope/Keller Racing with 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope, is again fired up about trading paint on a shoestring budget (by NASCAR standards) with the sport’s elite.

“I want so much to succeed in this,” said Keller, who never raced himself but fell in love with the sport as a kid while watching “Wide World of Sports” in the 1960s. “I want to climb to the top of the mountain.”

A foothold? How about qualifying for the Feb. 14 Daytona 500, NASCAR’s Super Bowl. Simply putting a car in that field — Cope is the driver — pays more than $250,000 and would buy ample margin for error, not to mention tires.

Keller has been down this road before, too often with disastrous results. He and Cope joined forces last year but did not qualify for the Daytona 500. Rain cost them their shot at several other races, not to mention roughly $20,000 (tires, hotel rooms, getting there, etc.) each time they were turned away.

“It’s devastating when we don’t make a race, worse than being dumped by a girlfriend,” Keller said. “It’s hell, because we put our heart and soul into it. This sport is not for the meek and mild, that’s for sure.

“But I like our chances so much better now.”

‘Only a Cup deal’

What you first notice about Keller is that there is less of him. He credits lap-band surgery for a 30-pound weight loss that has given him more energy — if that’s possible — to pour into his pursuit.

“I’m not the smartest book in the drawer, but I’ve positioned myself,” he said while digging into a Marion’s pizza — a small one — on a visit to Dayton last week. “My house (he lives with his dad, Millard, a retired GM worker) is paid off. I don’t have a lot of debt. That’s how I can afford to do this.”

Keller thought he was finished with racing, even announcing his retirement after failing to put a car in the second-tier Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway in 2007. He stayed out of it completely for a year, but Cope convinced him to give it another shot during a chance meeting in 2008.

“I told him the only way I would do it is in the Cup series,” Keller said.

For what’s different this year, start with the crew chief. Tony Furr brings the credibility of having worked for Hendrick Motorsports. And there’s a sponsorship agreement — “A barter deal; we have to sell ads,” Keller said — with cable company Charter Communication, and another with Strutmasters. There’s enough funding for a dozen or so Cup races, Keller figures, although the process of seeking sponsorship never really stops.

“I’d really like to see him make a couple of races this year,” said Brian Casey, co-host of the WING Racing Show (Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon) on WING-AM in Dayton. “It’s great to see a hometown guy from Beavercreek involved in something so cool.”

Odds are stacked

Keller and Cope, save for a love of racing, would seem to have little in common. Not so, says Keller, laughing: “What we have in common is we’re both tight with the money. We know how to budget.”

That’s important when so much is left to chance. Cup races are tough to crack for teams with little or no history of success. By rule, 35 spots are spoken for each week based on the points standings. The rest of the teams are in Keller’s boat, scrambling for what’s left.

“Single-car teams are almost going the way of the dinosaur,” Casey said. “The odds are stacked against him, but the passion is there. I feel bad for Gary. Every time he’s been up and excited about doing something, it’s rained on his parade — often literally. But the passion keeps driving him.”

For the season-opening Daytona 500, last year’s top 35 teams (based on owner points) are guaranteed spots. The others must race their way into the field in one of the two 150-mile qualifying races that comprise next Thursday’s Gatorade Duel.

Keller, with two “Car of Tomorrow” Cup cars in his garage, pins his hopes on Cope, 51, a Spanaway, Wash., native who had been a baseball player before a knee injury turned racing into more than a hobby.

In Keller, Cope says he has a business partner who also is a good cheerleader.

“I need that,” Cope said. “Sometimes you need someone to pump you up. Most race-car drivers are a little insecure. They’re all talented and capable, but I think you always need someone to reinforce your belief in yourself. Gary does that. We hit it off pretty well from the start.”

That 1990 Daytona championship was Cope’s first NASCAR win and came about when Dale Earnhardt cut a tire on the last lap. Cope finished 18th in the points standings that year. In 1995, he had eight top-10 finishes, but the veteran’s driving highlights are otherwise few and far between. This is his chance to be relevant again behind the wheel.

“He’s in good shape for his age,” Keller said as if pumping up a prizefighter. “He works out like Mark Martin.”

Creating momentum

Saturday, the team will get a jump on some competitors. Cope, as a past Daytona 500 winner, has been invited to participate in the Bud Shootout, an all-star exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway featuring many of the top Sprint Cup stars.

Daytona 500 qualifying, which determines the pole position for next Sunday’s race and sets the field for the Gatorade Duel, is earlier in the day.

“I’m guardedly optimistic,” Cope said. “I’ve got a lot of people around me I’ve known for a long time. We’ve done all we can do. We just have to go to battle. I feel confident we’re going to be in the thick of things.”

A good showing in the Bud Shootout, while playing no role in qualifying for the 500, can build momentum. But it’s all about putting the No. 75 AssetProtect/Strutmasters.com Dodge in the show.

“If we make the ‘500’ this year, we turn around and go to California and we keep it rolling,” Keller said. “Once you create momentum, you don’t want to stop it.

“California pays $85,000 (to qualify), Las Vegas pays $72,000. But it all depends on whether we make the ‘500’. It just changes the whole deal.”

Being an underdog doesn’t faze Keller. It’s the only racing role he’s known.

“We’re going for the gusto,” he promised. “I’ve worked so hard to have success in business. Now I’m just going to concentrate on me for a while and have some fun.”

Contact this reporter at

(937) 225-2408 or

smcclelland@

DaytonDailyNews.com

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