Top-10 At Michigan Satisfying Birthday Gift For Bryan Silas

Topics:  Bryan Silas, Racing for Wildlife 200

Chris Knight
Fast Track Racing
June 16, 2010

BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 16, 2010) - - ARCA Racing Series (ARS) driver Bryan Silas leaned into one of his favorite races on the 2010 schedule hoping to put his Fast Track Racing team back on the right path. In all accounts, Silas’s performance in last Friday’s Racing for Wildlife 200 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) was commendable, awarding the Stuart, Florida native with his third top-10 finish of the year.

Silas, who turned 23 on Sunday, June 13 has always enjoyed the characteristics of MIS and after an aggressive performance last year, the Fast Track Racing (FTR) team owned by legendary car owner and former ARCA champion Andy Hillenburg had zero doubts that they could back-up their performance for a second year in a row.

The Concord, North Carolina team participated in a test at the two-mile oval two weeks ago and despite losing an engine in their No. 11 Rockingham Speedway / Palm Beach Grading Ford Fusion, the team returned to the track optimistic about Silas’s fourth run at the Irish Hills based track.

In practice, Silas propelled his Cal Boprey led organization to the 14th fastest time after turning a lap of 39.624 seconds or 181.708 miles per hour. The team wasn’t disappointed with their practice effort but felt like they still had some more speed to be found.

Silas and Boprey consulted following the lone practice session of the weekend, with Silas looking for a better drive off. After debriefing, Boprey and the FTR crew went to work with several changes to the team's blue oval.

In qualifying, Silas maneuvered his FTR Ford around the speed plant in 39.448 seconds at 182.519 miles per hour, a solid pick-up from practice. After spending much of time trials locked inside the top-seven, by the end of qualifications, Silas slid down to 10th, marking the third time this year that the No. 11 has started a race inside the first five rows.

“We’re happy with our qualifying run,” said Silas. “Cal (Boprey, crew chief) said he was going to make some vigorous changes to our No. 11 Rockingham Speedway / Palm Beach Grading Ford and he definitely went in the right direction. I think if we can keep our nose clean and stay out of trouble, we’ll have a good finish.”

During the course of the Racing for Wildlife 200, Silas kept his machine solidly in the top-10. Flirting between seventh and 11th, the ARCA veteran kept his car out of trouble. Despite losing a lap under green flag pit stops and closing in on the final 25 laps of the 100-lap event, Silas was able to rebound from the untimely caution that soon waived to post a ninth place finish, the third of eight cars one lap off the pace.

“From our standpoint, it was a very quiet race,” sounded Silas. “We had a good car but didn’t have anything for those Toyotas up front. They were strong. Our car was pretty good. We had to make some slight adjustments during the race but when the yellow flag came out near the end, we were cooked. I’m proud of the team for their hard work. We finally had a good weekend and maybe this bad luck is behind us and we can make a surge back to the front in the championship and on the track.”

Nason, Yeager, Gerson, White & Lioce P.A., MTW Services, Inc., Palm Beach Grading (PBG) and Rockingham Speedway all sponsored Silas’s Ford Fusion for his 79th career ARCA start.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards is their annual trip to Iowa Speedway for the running of the Prairie Meadows 200 on Saturday, July 10. Silas will make his fifth try at the .875-mile paved oval hoping to improve on his track best of eighth scored in 2008.

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

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