TALLADEGA, Ala.: After a two-week break, AM Racing’s Austin Wayne Self (@AustinWSelf) saddles back into action this weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway eyeing his second top-five finish of the year in Saturday afternoon’s Sugarlands Shine 250.
For the Austin, Texas native and his team, it’s not just about producing another solid result in their No. 22 GO TEXAN | AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet Silverado, but it’s the chance to revamp the storylines in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs and take the team to Victory Lane at one of the series’ most unpredictable races.
“I’ve been ready for Talladega Superspeedway for a while now,” said Austin Wayne Self. “Eddie (Troconis) and the guys on the AM Racing team have been working hard on our superspeedway truck getting it ready for battle.
“I love these superspeedway races. I feel like I’m a pretty good drafter and I’ve been able to come from the back to the front on a number of occasions and put our AM Racing team in the thick of the battle when it counted most. Maybe, we can finally seal the deal on Saturday afternoon.”
Superspeedway racing produced the career-best outing for Self and his Mooresville, N.C.-based team. In 2017, Self finished second in the Truck Series season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, cleverly mastering through a wild last lap accident on the backstretch.
Self knows that similar circumstances could transpire in the second and final superspeedway race of the season, but he says his AM Racing team can’t be worried about getting caught up in the “Big One.”
“You try to put a strategy together and it winds up backfiring,” added Self. “For us, we’re not racing for a championship, but we’re racing to put our partners and team in the winner’s circle. I’m going to race respectfully this weekend, but if there’s an opportunity to put ourselves in a position to win the race, I’m going for it.
“There’s not too many races left in the season, so every lap is important. We’ve had a lot to be proud of at AM Racing, especially over the summer and we need to make sure we continue to make those gains over these next four races to ramp up for the 2020 season.”
The 23-year-old Self will make his fourth Truck Series start at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. In his previous three efforts, he earned a track-best of 12th last October and hasn’t finished worse than 18th. He has completed 282 of the 283 laps since 2016.
“Talladega is a bit wider than Daytona, so traditionally it can provide a better race,” sounded Self. “You can go from the back to the front quicker, but the stages are pretty short on Saturday, so we just need to see how the race plays out and make sure we find our (drafting) partners so we can be ready to pounce during Stage 3.”
For the series’ long stop in Alabama, AM Technical Solutions will serve alongside GO TEXAN as a major associate partner for Saturday afternoon’s race.
GO TEXAN, celebrating its 20th Birthday this year, represents Texas agri-business on state, national and international levels by building recognition with the GO TEXAN mark will continue its primary role with AM Racing this weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
Along with its signature mark in the shape of Texas, GO TEXAN celebrates, promotes and supports the business savvy and plainspoken grit Texas agriculture is known for throughout the world.
Don’t mess with Texas, CForce Bottling Company, Flying Circle and Kreuz Market will serve as associate partners in the 20th race of the year.
In 80 NGOTS races, the 2014 ARCA Menards Series Rookie of the Year has two top-fives (second at Daytona 2017, fifth at Michigan 2019) and seven top-10 finishes. The Texan maintains an average finish of 17.8 during his three years of competition.
The Austin, Texas native is nestled 14th in the championship standings with four races remaining.
For more on Austin Wayne Self, please visit awsracing.com, like his Facebook page (Austin Wayne Self) or follow him on Twitter @AustinWSelf.
For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing) or follow them on Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.
For more information on Don’t mess with Texas and how you can become involved in the program, visit dontmesswithtexas.org.
Visit AM Technical Solutions (AMTS) online at amts.com.
For more on Flying Circle, please visit flyingcirclegear.com, like them on Facebook (FlyingCircleGear) and follow them on Instagram (@flyingcirclegear) and Twitter (@flyingcircle_). Also connect with Flying Circle on Pinterest and YouTube.
For additional information on CForce premium artesian water, please visit cforce.com.
For more on Kreuz Market, please visit kreuzmarket.com. like them on Facebook (KreuzMarketLockhart) and follow them on Twitter (@kreuzmarket).
The Sugarlands Shine 250 (94 laps | 250.04 miles) is the 20th of 23 races on the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedule. Practice begins on Fri., Oct. 11 from 11:35 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. A final practice has been etched in from 2:35 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Sat., Oct. 12 beginning at 9:35 a.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 12:30 p.m. with live coverage on FOX, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Central).
About GO TEXAN:
GO TEXAN is a widely recognized brand. It represents a diverse collection of people, products and services that are genuinely Texan. Whether it’s grown, sewn or served on a plate, more than 26 million Texans shop, travel and dine out in full support of Texas business and agriculture.
Consumers make buying decisions based on the prestige of GO TEXAN, a desire to support the Texas economy and the value received from buying local.
About AM Technical Solutions:
Headquartered in Austin, TX, AM Technical Solutions was founded in 1994. AM Technical Solutions is a Global Architecture, Engineering & Construction firm specializing in the high-tech markets. AMTS has managed over $20B of global capital projects for over 170 different customers in 24 countries and across five continents.
For more information, please visit amts.com.
About AM Racing:
AM Racing is a NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) team owned by entrepreneur Tim Self. Established in December 2015, AM Racing is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C. Operated by Self, a native of Austin, Texas, the team is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.
The team has named Austin Wayne Self as its driver for the 2019 season.