Rockingham Speedway To Sponsor Bryan Silas As He Prepares For Biggest NASCAR Craftsman Truck Start Yet At Talladega

Topics:  Bryan Silas, Mountain Dew 250

Chris Knight
Fast Track Racing
October 3, 2007

BRISTOL, Tennessee (Tuesday, October 3, 2007) - - ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) rookie Bryan Silas will take another major leap in his NASCAR career by taking the green flag in Saturday’s Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Not only will Silas add another speedway to his already impressive resume, but the Stuart, Florida native will make his inaugural NASCAR restrictor plate debut with some of the best drivers in the world.

Behind the wheel of two-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Andy Hillenburg, Silas hopes to guide his No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado to a clean and respectable finish hoping that it will only prove to his colleagues that he is the real deal and belongs among the best of the best in the NCTS.

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“I’m excited and nervous all at the same time,” said the 20-year old driver. “This is a huge weekend for me and I would by lying if I said I’m not putting any pressure on myself. Luckily, I’m surrounded by a great team and I know we’re going to achieve all of our goals this weekend.”

He added, “Talladega Superspeedway is a track that speaks for itself. It’s very smooth but incredibly fast. I have a great deal of respect for the track and speed. The track’s characteristics have proven to recognize the excitement yet breathtaking races. Concentration, dedication and luck are the three key elements to success at Talladega and I hope we can check them all off successfully Saturday afternoon.”

With a full field not expected for the second ever NCTS event held at the 2.666-mile facility, Silas can breathe a little easier knowing that he’s virtually guaranteed a spot in the final restrictor plate race of the season. However, that doesn’t mean that Silas is planning on sitting back and relaxing.

“We have a lot of work to do this weekend,” said Silas, who will also compete in Friday’s ARCA RE/MAX Series event at Talladega . “Even though we’re pretty much in the race, we still have to work to make our truck drivable for the race. We don’t want to sit around in the back of the pack, we need to get out there and draft and learn. We’ve made great improvements with our truck program this year, but that’s because we’ve learned every time we’ve been out there. And even though we’re served with a different kind of race this weekend, that doesn’t mean our objectives or plans change.”

He continued, “track time is crucial. I’ll be practicing Thursday and Friday in my ARCA car and then race Friday afternoon. I know that I’ll be able to grasp some of the information I learn from the ARCA race and transfer it over to the truck race.”

Silas also realized that the differences from the car to the truck could be substantial, but he is prepared for that.

“I am expecting both races to be like night and day from each other but that’s okay, it’s the only way I am going to learn. Drafting is going to be huge in both races and that is the biggest benefit of the weekend. I know the car and truck may react different as far as handling, but in the end it’s about getting down to racing. And at a track like Talladega , that means drafting. We’ve done a good job in our four races so far this year, but I think the team would be tickled to finish in the top-20. A small victory for one of the smaller organizations on the circuit.”

Rockingham Speedway will carry their decals on Silas’s Silverado on Saturday as the primary sponsor. Truck owner Andy Hillenburg acquired ownership of the Rockingham, North Carolina track on Tuesday. “It’s going to be pretty neat to have Rockingham Speedway all over our truck,” added Silas. “Andy is very excited about the track’s future and what a better way to start promoting it than having it on our truck this weekend at Talladega !”

Silas is scheduled to compete in two more NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races with the events being announced in the near future.

The Mountain Dew 250 (94 laps/250 miles) is the 20th of 25 races on the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule. Practice begins Thursday October 3 with an hour (1:10pm-2:10pm) practice session planned. A half-hour (2:50pm-3:20pm) rookie practice session has also been set in the schedule. A final “Happy Hour” (3:20pm-4:20pm) practice session is also set for Thursday afternoon. Bud pole qualifying is set for Friday, October 4 set to commence at 1:10pm. The race will be broadcasted live on the SPEED channel on Saturday, October 5 beginning with the pre-race show at 3:30pm and the main event starting at 4:00pm local time. MRN will handle the airwaves starting at 3:30pm local time. The race will also be available via Sirius satellite radio channel 128 also launching at 3:30pm. All times are local. TruckSeries.com will also provide extensive at track coverage beginning Thursday.

For more on Bryan Silas please visit, BryanSilasRacing.com

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