Bryan Silas Looking For Redemption In Iowa

Topics:  Bryan Silas, Prairie Meadows 250

Chris Knight
Fast Track Racing
April 17, 2008

NEWTON, Iowa (April 17, 2008) - - After marching to his fourth career top-10 finish at Salem Speedway this past Sunday, ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) sophomore driver Bryan Silas heads to Iowa Speedway this weekend looking to keep the momentum on his side and more importantly finish what he started in last year’s Prairie Meadows 250.

Silas, a native of Stuart , Florida invaded Iowa Speedway last year in spectacular fashion after turning a very impressive eighth place qualifying effort before maneuvering to the front and in contention to win the event before falling victim to a mechanical failure and settling for a 13th place finish.

Now on the heels of his first top-10 finish of the season and with the confidence from crew chief Jeff McClure, Silas is feeling confident that his inaugural ARCA RE/MAX Series win could come in the series third trip to the speed plant.

“ Iowa , what a place,” Silas recalled. “We could have won the race last year. We just had a circumstance that erased us from the competition. Our car was a rocket ship though and I believe we’ll pick up right where we left off this weekend.”

Silas admits that having a crew chief like Jeff McClure has given him the extra confidence that he needs to help get the job done.

“Jeff is so knowledgeable and he does not cut me any slack,” Silas chuckled. “In all seriousness he is the brains of this operation this year and he has taught me more about racecars than I’ve ever learned in all the year’s I’ve been involved in racing. It’s been great. Our communication is really starting to gel and I believe that the strong finishes will continue throughout the season.”

When asked what he has to do to conquer Iowa Speedway this weekend, Silas paused then responded.

“You have to treat Iowa just like any short track. You have to battle attrition and you have to adjust with the racetrack as it changes. We’re not racing under the lights this year, but that does not mean that we won’t have to adjust the car. The driver and team that have the best handling racecar will likely end up in victory lane. Jeff (McClure) and I hope to have that car.”

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 third event on the 2008 ARCA calendar.

“I wish that Salem ’s race would have been televised live on television so that our sponsors not in attendance would have been able to see not only a great race but our No. 11 up front. However, this weekend we won’t have to worry about that as the race is live and we just plan to backup what we did last Sunday.”

Currently Silas holds the 15th position in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings. Another top-10 run has the potential to leap Silas back into familiar territory.

“It took us a while to enter the top-10 in points last year,” explained Silas. “This year though, I think we’ll get there quicker and stay there. I have a great team and great sponsors and we deserve to be in this year’s championship chase. Another strong run this weekend will aid our efforts.”

After his duties at the track on Friday afternoon, Silas will spend his evening at the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino ( Altoona , Iowa ) participating in an autograph session from 6:00pm to 8:00pm local time.

Heading into Iowa, Silas has 31 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his credit with a career best finish of eighth at 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 Iowa Speedway . Newcomer AJ Gnail will pilot the No. 10 Fast Track Racing Driving School Ford Fusion and attempt to make his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut as a teammate to Silas.

The Prairie Meadows 250 (250 laps/219 miles) is the third of 21 events on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The third ARCA race held at Iowa is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, April 18 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 12:30-2:00 p.m. A second round of practice has been etched in from 3:00-4:30 p.m. ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying is set for Saturday morning April 19 slated to begin at 9:00 a.m. with the field taking the green flag shortly after 12:35 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED (12:30 p.m. local) with additional race coverage online at arcaracing.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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