A Day In The Dirt Offers Strong Run For Bryan Silas

Topics:  Bryan Silas, Southern Illinois 100

Chris Knight
Fast Track Racing
September 7, 2010

DU QUOIN, Illinois (September 7, 2010) - - Stuart, Florida native Bryan Silas competed in his eighth ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards dirt track race Monday at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. For the third consecutive year in the Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Car Care, Silas finished 10th.

With the annual Labor Day tradition being a quick one-day show consisting of practice, qualifying and the race all within a four-hour period, Silas and crew chief Wayne Giles didn’t have time to waste. In the one-hour practice session, Silas maneuvered the 17th fastest lap in his No. 11 Rockingham Speedway / Palm Beach Grading Ford Fusion.

In qualifying, Silas whipped his blue oval around the one-mile clay oval in 33.998 seconds or 105.889 miles per hour, a significant pickup from practice just an hour earlier. Silas’s 10th place starting position was a career best on the dirt, which consists of the Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) and the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.

From the drop of the green flag, Silas kept his Fast Track Racing machine in the hunt and comfortably inside the top-12. Encouragement from 1995 ARCA Racing Series champion Andy Hillenburg, who also spotted for Silas during the 100-lap contest, kept the ARCA veteran on his toes during the first quarter of the event.

The team decided to make their lone but mandatory pit stop within the race’s first 30 circuits which consisted of four new Hoosier tires, fuel and a slight chassis adjustment to comprehend the tracks changing characteristics.

Starting inside the top-20 on the restart, Silas would methodically work his way through the running order despite a massive amount of cautions during the second-half of the event. Despite heat from Dakoda Armstrong, Justin Marks and Tim George Jr., the Floridian was able to out-duel his competitors and climb back into the 10th position where he took the checkered flag.

“We had a great day,” said Silas. “I cannot describe how I am feeling. The car was pretty good when we unloaded. We kept making adjustments on it during practice and before qualifying and even a little bit during the race and the car responded beautifully. Believe it or not, I really learned a lot out there today. There were moves I made that worked and a couple that didn’t. Nonetheless, our No. 11 Rockingham Speedway / Palm Beach Grading Ford Fusion was solid and we were able to have a good finish.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards is their second trip to Toledo (Oh.) Speedway this season. The Northwest Ohio Ford Dealers 200 is set for Sunday, September 12. Silas will make his ninth career start at ARCA’s hometown track. In his previous eight starts, he has a best finish of seventh; twice in October 2008 and September 2008. He has also steered to an additional top-10 finish by claiming eighth in May 2009. The 17th race of the season will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the weekend will be available through the BAS Racing Network in conjunction with the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.

“Toledo and I have a love / hate relationship,” added Silas. “I’ve had some really good finishes there, but I’ve also had some that I would just like to forget about. I really feel that the communication is building with me and Wayne and I think everyone can expect good things from the Fast Track Racing team on Sunday afternoon.”

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 87th career ARCA start.

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

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