Austin Wayne Self ready for Bristol NASCAR Truck race

[NickHolt]

Austin Wayne Self ready for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pinty’s Dirt Truck Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway

Fast Facts:

No. 22 AM Racing Team:
Driver: Austin Wayne Self
Primary Partner(s): GO TEXAN | AM Technical Solutions
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Silverado
Crew Chief: Ryan Salomon
2021 Driver Points Position: 14th | 2021 Owner Points Position: 17th
Chassis Intel: AMR Chassis No. 115; previously raced at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.  
Engine: Ilmor Racing Technologies

Notes of Interest:

Texas Pride: Two Texas-based companies will return as the primary partners for Austin Wayne Self this weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The Statesville, N.C.-based team will sport the signage of GO TEXAN and AM Technical Solutions on the No. 22 Chevrolet Silverado for the fifth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race of the season.
 
Headquartered in Austin, TX, AM Technical Solutions (AMTS) was founded in 1994.

It’s Dirt Baby: This weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway marks the historic NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on dirt. The Pinty’s Dirt Truck Race is the first of two dirt Truck Series races in 2021. Driver Austin Wayne Self has previous experience on dirt in the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He participated in three races at the famed Eldora Speedway in 2016, 2018 and 2019 respectively. He earned a best finish of ninth in his dirt debut in 2016 after starting 28th.
 
The Format: Saturday night’s field will consist of 40 trucks. 35 trucks will earn a spot based on their points earned in the qualifying races (qualifying race finish points + passing points). Four additional provisional spots will be awarded to the top four trucks in 2021 Truck Series owners’ points who have not already earned a spot in the race. The final provisional will go to the most recent past champion. If one does not exist, it will go to the next highest truck in Truck Series owner points.Austin Wayne Self Truck Series Bristol Motor Speedway Stats: While Austin Texas native Austin Wayne Self does not have any starts on the Bristol dirt, he does have five starts on the traditional oval. From 2016 to 2020, Self has competed in five races on the 0.533-mile concrete oval, delivering a track-best of 13th in 2018.
 
Atlanta Motor Speedway | FR8 Auctions 200 Race Recap: On the heels of a season-best 14th place finish at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in early March, the AM Racing team had high hopes for the FR8 Auctions 200. After starting 12th, Self was able to maintain a presence throughout the top-20 during most of the race. Unfortunately, a late race speeding penalty hindered the team’s ability to recover after running out of laps.  Self did, however, hustle from the back to a respectable 23rd place finish.

Austin Wayne Self Pre-Race Quotes:

On Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Dirt: “I’m energetic about running the Dirt Track this weekend at Bristol. I love racing on the dirt and overall have been pretty decent at it. The credit goes to my AM Racing team for bringing me a truck I can wheel. It is going to be important to utilize practice to the best of our ability, see what happens in the heat race and then just maintain our pace during the race to make sure we are in contention for a good finish when the checkered flag is thrown.”

On Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway Finish: “It certainly wasn’t the finish we were hoping for. We started out decent, but the lack of grip seemed to have hindered us throughout the race. The late-race speeding penalty didn’t help either. We made some gains in the final run to the finish, so I’m thankful we salvaged a somewhat decent day when it could have been a lot worse.”  
 
On 2021 Season After Four Races: “We have worked really hard at AM Racing during the opening stint to the season. We have been very solid. Our trucks have been fast, but the series is extremely competitive this season. We just need to stay focused and come to the track worried about the performance of our No. 22 GO TEXAN | AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet and everything else will work out. We are looking forward to the upcoming break after Bristol to regroup and then press the attack at Richmond in April.”

To The Point(s): Entering Bristol, Self sits 14th in the championship standings. Just 40 points separate Self from fifth in the championship standings currently held by Stewart Friesen with 18 races remaining this season.  AM Racing also secures 17th in the NCWTS owner standings.
 
Calling the Shots: Ryan Salomon will continue to lead Austin Wayne Self and the AM Racing team this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. This weekend marks his eighth race as crew chief for Self and in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. During his tenure, he guided Self to an average finish of 16th during the 2020 and 2021 seasons respectively.
 
Career Rundown: Since 2016, Self has competed in 111 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, delivering two top-five and nine top-10 finishes. He finished a career-best 12th in the championship standings in 2018. On dirt, Self has three NCWTS starts with one top-10 and an average finish of 13.3.
 
Did You Know:? Austin Wayne Self and his wife Jennifer have seven chickens and a dog named Echo.
 
Follow on Social Media: 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. 

Race Information:
The Pinty’s Dirt Truck Race (150 laps | 75 miles) is the fifth of 22 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the 2021 schedule. The first of two practices begins at 3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m., with a final fifty-minute practice etched in from 5:35 p.m. – 6:25 p.m. Qualifying heat races begin on race day, Mar. 27, beginning at 4:30 p.m. The 40-truck field will take the green flag on Sat., Mar. 20, 2021 shortly after 8:00 p.m. ET with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 90. 

About AM Racing: AM Racing is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) team headquartered in Statesville, N.C. Established in December 2015, AM Racing is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.