Growing up in the household of an NHRA Super Stock record holding, drag race father, it was almost inevitable that Keller would pick up the sport. He started off with his first garage built 361 motor running high 12s. Some of the parts were older than he was but he still put together a winning good combination, with what he had. In 1999 this little gray Nova was giving the cars of the peninsula a decent run.

As his knowledge of motor combinations climbed, the E.T. of his Nova dropped. His second creation proved to be a head turner with a 10.96 all motor time slip. Cruising at 4,000 rpm on the freeway to San Francisco was just another Saturday night for Keller. “I drive everywhere like that, the motor can handle it.” This street car’s notoriety spread through out the bay area. “I remember walking into Vic Hubbard’s and a guy stopped me to ask if I was the one with the gray Nova that ran a 10.90,” Keller’s shock was interrupted by his friend’s excitement over how fast word had spread.

Word on the street lead to a local match up between two of the fastest primer cars in SSF. Keller was set to race a black 60s Mustang, “I don’t remember [who set up the race location] I think it was him but I’m not sure,” Keller recaps on the 2002 race. He was notorious for being flexible about races, where, when, as long as it was safe. His car was always running and he had no problem bringing it out every night. The phone tree was activated and soon there were over 20 cars, full of what looked like, 40 people watching. There were down sides of being ‘a car to watch’ on a Saturday night. The race proved the grey Nova victorious and a very humble Keller came back with a small smile, he’s never been known to gloat over a win. The night was cut short when the authorities caught on to the shenanigans. A very methodical plan was put into place, long before they came in sirens blazing. There were over 15 police cars organized and both ends of the street. But Keller knew a side street exit and brought as many cars with him as he could. Escaping the bust, Keller parked close and willingly answered the endless phone calls of where to meet him after each car took its turn in the ‘fix-it ticket line.’ “I knew it was there, I didn’t know if I was going to get past the cops in time though,” Keller reminisced about the secret exit.

The road wasn’t without its bumps along the way, dabbling with a power adder proved to be the next big challenge. Spending months in the low 10s became an all too familiar occurrence. After much tuning, jet changes, test passes and the occasional dyno trip; Keller had mastered the two stages rushing through his Gemini Quad. He packed up and headed to Las Vegas for the PSCA’s Winter Nationals, 2005 season kick off. With a flawless wheel-stand and a 1.4 sixty-foot, Keller had no idea he was on his way to an induction into the single digit club. His friends cheered wildly as the time clock blasted a 9.91 at 135mph. With his time slip in hand, Keller looked to the future; certifications, a license and the possibility of a few more tenths off his ET? Although he’s a man of few words, he’ll single handedly teach you anything you need to know about cars and performance.