Bryan Silas Fights Hard For Top-20 In Music City

Topics:  Bryan Silas, Toyota ARCA 150

Chris Knight
Fast Track Racing
August 14, 2007

LEBANON, Tennessee (Tuesday, August 14, 2007) - - ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Bryan Silas can never be denied for giving 150 percent. Despite record heat and a tight racecar, Silas continued to dig in Saturday’s TOYOTA ARCA 150 with Silas collecting a 16th place finish.

Silas entered Nashville looking for redemption after an engine failure spoiled the team’s run in April.

Entering the track on Friday, Silas said, “Man, what a difference a couple of months make. We came here in April and it was snowing; now we’re here and it’s hot, very hot!” Before tackling the track for practice and qualifying, Silas was keeping himself plenty hydrated.

A long two-hour practice session was set for the teams on Friday. During practice, Silas posted the 19th fastest lap with a time of 31.270 seconds at 153.463 MPH. “Our car is really good. We’re a little tight, but not to worry, we’ll be fine in qualifying and the race. The test was crucial for us and it’s paying off. The car is strong enough and with a little luck we can post a top-10 finish. I like this track a lot and the heat is not affecting me, so I’m ready to go for the rest of the weekend.”

With confidence always on his side, Silas headed into ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying looking for a strong starting spot. During his two lap hustle around Nashville Superspeedway, Silas posted a lap of 30.997 seconds equaling a speed of 154.815 MPH. He picked up just over two-tenths of a second from his practice run.

“I wish we could have started a little higher up, but it’s still a solid starting spot,” offered Silas, who qualified 19th. “I think our car will come to life in the race and we’ll be able to show our muscle then.”

At the start of the 150 mile event, Silas quickly sought out the top-15, but his early race march would take a drastic turn as Silas looped his machine on the frontstretch ironically on lap 11. Luckily, Silas didn’t make any contact with the wall and returned to competition still on the lead lap.

Silas brought his machine to the attention of his Fast Track Racing crew where the team changed four tires, added Sunoco Racing fuel, and made a minor adjustment to Silas’s machine.

On the restart, Silas with coaching from car owner and spotter Andy Hillenburg began a charge through the field. Starting deep inside the high 20s, Silas had worked his way up to the 22nd position when the caution flag waived on lap 19 for a multi-car incident between Marc Mitchell and Josh Krug.

Back to racing, Silas would again inch his way forward through the running order. Entering half-way, Silas had climbed into the top-20 and was hoping to land home in the top-10.

A tight handling racecar would keep Silas at bay during the long green flag run being overtaken by the leaders.

The caution flag waived on lap 73 with Silas occupying the 18th position. Over the next forty laps and an additional caution, Silas would gain two spots to cross the line 16th in the 14th ARCA race held at Nashville Superspeedway.

The finish excelled past Silas’s previous Nashville finish of 37th in April.

“It was a hot race,” said Silas. “The car was pretty good, not the best we’ve had this season, but I gave everything I had. I’m glad that when I spun, I didn’t hit anything. I guess I was just trying to hard. As the race went on, the car was getting tighter and the motor was lying down a little bit. We salvaged a top-20 run and we’ll pick up from Nashville and look for some success on the dirt Sunday!”

Silas remains ninth in the championship standings sitting 135 points from eighth held by Bobby Gerhart. He sits 35 markers ahead of 10th place competitor Justin Marks.

Next up for the ARCA RE/MAX Series is the 16th event on the 2007 schedule with the first of two showings on the dirt. The Allen Crowe 100 from the Illinois State Fairgrounds is set for Sunday, August 19 set to roll off at 1:00pm Eastern Time.

For more on Bryan Silas please visit, BryanSilasRacing.com
Visit Fast Track Racing on the web at, FastTrackRacing.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

NAME: Chris Knight, Fast Track Racing

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