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Austin Wayne Self seeks third straight top-10 in Phoenix finale


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Austin Wayne Self and AM Racing seek third straight top-10 in Phoenix finale

AVONDALE, Ariz.: The season finale from Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway is here, and AM Racing doesn’t necessarily want the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS) season to end in Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150.

Over the last month, the Statesville, N.C. team has turned heads in the garage with fast race trucks and two consecutive top-10 finishes at Texas Motor Speedway and last Friday night’s penultimate race of the year at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

A tough and historic short track has at times has been hard to conquer for driver Austin Wayne Self, but the veteran driver took advantage of a well-handling No. 22 GO TEXAN | AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet Silverado to keep his red and white truck near the front of the field before finishing ninth in the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200, his second top-10 of the season.

“We came to Martinsville with a lot of momentum after our finish in Texas and we proved we weren’t messing around,” said Self. “We’ve worked hard at our race shop over the past six weeks to make these last few races of 2020 count and it is paying off with results. I’m stoked to go to Phoenix and contend for three top-10 finishes in a row and a strong end to our season.”

Unlike the past, this year’s season finale isn’t in the heart of Southwest Florida, it’s moved to the West desert of Avondale, Ariz. and Phoenix Raceway, a track that Self admits he enjoys competing at.

Self has competed in four races at Phoenix from 2016 to 2019 and last November earned a personal-track best of 18th. For Self and his AM Racing team, another top-20 would be a respectable ending to their season – but another top-10 finish propels the organization to a new level heading into the offseason and a jumpstart on 2021.

“I enjoy racing at Phoenix Raceway,” admitted Self. “It’s a demanding race track, especially with the current layout, but it tends to put on good racing. Restarts will be pivotal for anyone and making sure our No. 22 GO TEXAN | AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet Silverado handles well if we receive a long green-flag run is important too.

“Ryan (Salomon, crew chief) and I have chatted about what to expect and I feel pretty confident in the truck we are bringing to the track this weekend, we just have to wait for the green flag to drop and see what happens in 150 laps.”

Strong finishes over the last two races have also helped Self on the starting grid.

With an emphasis on the week’s prior performance formulated into the formula to make up the lineup, Self says starting close to the front is crucial in their quest for a third top-10 this weekend.

“I think started nearing the front helped us a lot at Martinsville and that was thanks to our Texas Motor Speedway finish,” Self explained. “Phoenix is a place where track position is important and if you don’t have the track position, you’ll probably need to have a fast truck or play some strategy.

“There’s a lot on the line this weekend for everyone. Whether it’s the championship or just a good finish, everyone has an agenda, and that sets the tone for the race. For us, we just want to keep doing what we’ve been doing since Kansas and that’s giving 100 percent every lap and not leaving anything on the table.

“If we can go out there to Phoenix and do that again this weekend, the finish will hopefully take care of itself.”

Self, 24, gives a lot of credit to new crew chief Ryan Salomon for coming into the frame so late in the season and catapulting the team to the next level.

“I know it’s only been three races, but I feel like we have made major strides in those three races,” added Self. “Ryan is open to the feedback and does a good job conversating about what he wants to do before he does it. It’s a win-win situation for our AM Racing team at this moment and I’m excited to see what Phoenix and the future holds.”

Even out of the Playoff picture, it’s still business as usual for the AM Racing team as Self expects the upward performance trend to continue to climb aboard his No. 22 GO TEXAN | AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet Silverado.

“We’re a relatively small team, but sometimes David can beat the Goliath and at times we’ve been able to show that on track with our heart and passion of racing,” added Self. “We have a lot of people, including our partners who are devoted to our race team and focused on seeing our team succeed not only in 2020 but as we start to think ahead to 2021.”

In addition to primary partner GO TEXAN, AM Technical Solutions, Don’t mess with Texas, AIRBOX Air Purifier, CForce Bottling Company, Flying Circle, Kreuz Market and Prasek’s will serve as associate partners in the 23rd race of the year.

The Lucas Oil 150 (150 laps | 150 miles) is the 23rd of 23 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 33-truck field will take the green flag on Fri. Nov. 3, 2020, shortly after 6:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Mountain).

In 106 NGROTS races, Self, the 2014 ARCA Menards Series Rookie of the Year, has two top-fives (second at Daytona 2017, fifth at Michigan 2019) and nine top-10 finishes. The Texan maintains an average finish of 18.6 during his five years of competition. The Austin, Texas native is nestled 16th in the championship standings with one race 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. 

About AM Racing:

AM Racing is a NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS) team owned by entrepreneur Tim Self.

Established in December 2015, AM Racing is headquartered in Statesville, 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 2020 season.

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