Rockingham Provides Great Opportunity For Bryan Silas

Topics:  Bryan Silas, Carolina 500K

Chris Knight
Fast Track Racing
May 2, 2008

ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (May 2, 2008) - - If anyone is a favorite for Sunday’s Carolina 500K at Rockingham Speedway, many aren’t shy to point fingers at the No. 11 Ford Fusion driven by sophomore ARCA RE/MAX Series driver Bryan Silas.

The Stuart, Florida native definitely has an advantage over the rest of the competition as the ARCA series returns to “The Rock” for the first time in nearly 35 years. The advantage is clear and simple, practice.

Rockingham Speedway was purchased in October last year by Silas’s ARCA RE/MAX Series car owner Andy Hillenburg and the rest they say is history. With the determination to put Rockingham Speedway back on the map, Silas and Hillenburg have worked together through media appearances and a number of test sessions to prove that the unique track is alive and well and ready for ARCA’s biggest race of the season this Sunday.

“The wait is over,” said Silas. “Rockingham Speedway is here and I can’t wait for the activities to get underway. The Carolina 500K is an important race for me, the team and especially my car owner Andy Hillenburg. I know nothing would mean more to him than a victory on Sunday afternoon.”

The 20-year old driver doesn’t shy away from the big “W” word and agrees that the fifth race on the 2008 season has the potential to be big for the Fast Track Racing team.

“I’m told that we are one of the favorites but that doesn’t change our outlook on the race,” Silas added. “We still have a job to do. It’s our job to try and make our No. 11 Nortrax-Shell Rotella T Ford Fusion go faster. Jeff (McClure) my crew chief has done a magnificent job with this team this season. I think everyone has seen a complete turn around inside and out. We’re ready to show the serious strength of this team in the biggest race of the year.”

With his top-20 performance last Friday afternoon at Kansas Speedway, Silas currently holds the 11th position in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings. The diverse racecar driver knows that a solid performance at the North Carolina facility will inch him up further with the bigger picture still on deck.

“We’re not out of the championship chase by any means, but we cannot afford to have a bad run either,” Silas sounded. “We’re 11th in points, a much better position for us than last year. We need to keep climbing the ladder though. We cannot afford to take two steps back. I think where we’ll see a benefit is a place like Rockingham Speedway. It would be awesome to leave the track in the top-10 Sunday.”

Lafayette Ford, Nortrax, ICI Homes, Shell Rotella T, Holland Pump, Palm Beach Grading (PBG) and Rockingham Speedway will all sponsor the No. 11 Ford Fusion in the fifth event on the 2008 ARCA calendar.

“There’s a lot of exposure surrounding the race this weekend,” explained Silas. “We have a great team and a number of great sponsors and with the hype surrounding Andy this weekend; it has the potential to flow over to our team and we want to make the best of it. Staying up front and in contention will give our sponsors the attention they deserve and we hope to secure our third top-10 finish of the season late Sunday afternoon.”

Silas will spend Thursday evening at the Rockingham ThunderFest ( Rockingham , North Carolina ) participating in an autograph session from 6:00pm to 7:00pm local time.

As an added bonus this weekend, Silas will be featured in the inaugural Carolina 500K race program.

Heading into Rockingham, Silas has 33 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his credit with a career best finish of eighth at Iowa Speedway (April 2008), Salem Speedway (April 2007 and April 2008) and Kentucky Speedway (July 2007) while holding an additional top-10 performance at USA International Speedway (March 2007). He holds a career best short track time trials effort of seventh at Berlin Raceway (July 2007). A fourth place qualifying effort at Pocono Raceway (June 2007) is Silas's best speedway run to date. He has controlled the ARCA field for 23 laps in two races.

Fast Track Racing will field two ARCA RE/MAX Series entries this weekend at Rockingham Speedway. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran Chad McCumbee will pilot the No. 10 Fast Track Racing Driving School Ford Fusion and attempt to make his 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series debut as a teammate to Silas.

The Carolina 500K (312 miles/312 laps) is the fifth of 21 events on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The return of racing to Rockingham Speedway is a three-day show. Practice begins Friday, May 2 with a three hour practice session planned from 2:00-5:00 p.m. First round of ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying is set to begin Saturday, May 3rd at 10:00 a.m. for positions 1-25. An additional second round qualifying for positions 26-41 has been etched in for 2:30 p.m. with a final “Happy Hour” practice session scheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The field will take the green flag shortly after 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 4. The race will be televised live on SPEED (12:00 p.m. local) with additional race coverage online at arcaracing.com with extensive radio coverage through RaceTalkRadio.com All times are local.

For more on Bryan Silas please visit, BryanSilasRacing.com.

Visit Fast Track Racing on the web at, FastTrackRacing.com.
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