Austin Wayne Self aims to keep momentum rolling in Thunder Valley

Off to a strong start in his partnership with Martins Motorsports, Austin Wayne Self heads to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway looking to keep the momentum train rolling in Wednesday night’s UNOH 200.

After finishing 16th at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway aboard the No. 44 Don’t mess with Texas Chevrolet, the team took a weekend off and returned to Michigan International Speedway where the team qualified inside the top-20 and propelled to a solid 15th place finish in the LTi Printing 200.

Now, the team heads to “Thunder Valley” where accomplishing another top-15 finish could be challenging, but a task that Self and his Mooresville, N.C-based team are ready to conquer.

“Man, I’m so pumped to go to Bristol,” said Self who will make his ninth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start of the season. “It’s a track that I think every driver looks at and circles on the calendar.”

“Bristol is a fast place with a lot of speed and finesse but it’s a place that is incredibly fun to race at because of its tight quarters. We feel confident we can have a good finish with our No. 44 Don’t mess with Texas Chevrolet.”

The Austin, Texas native will make his second trip to the 0.533-mile historic short track Wednesday night. Last summer, Self qualified 26th and finished 21st. This year, knowing a little more on how to tackle the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” Self believes he can finish inside the top-20.

“You know this week’s race is going to be interesting. Not only do the stages break up the race, but the track is going to put down the PJ1 TrackBite which is a substance utilized to create grip. We got a taste of that last year, but I think you’ll see it have a different affect this year, because everyone’s learned so much more about it.”

“That will be a good thing and it should produce a good show for the fans on Wednesday night.”

Of course, Self flashes back to his 2015 ARCA Racing Series win at Winchester Speedway, a track with similar characteristics to Bristol.

“Man, it’s always nice to think back to Winchester,” added Self. “Yeah, the tracks are very similar, but Wednesday night’s race is going to be very stout when it comes to the competition so a finish inside the top-20 would feel like a win for sure.”

In addition to AM Technical Solutions, Don’t mess with Texas will serve as an associate marketing partner for Self’s 31st career NCWTS race.

Self, 21, is scheduled to remain the primary driver for the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado for the remainder of the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. Industry veteran Kevin Eagle will continue his role as crew chief.

The UNOH 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the 14th of 23 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the 2017 schedule. Practice begins on Wed., Aug. 16 from 9:00 a.m. – 9:55 a.m., with a final practice session is set for 11:00 a.m. – 11:55 a.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day beginning at 4:35 p.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 8:30 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).

AM Racing PR