Austin Wayne Self; AM Racing hope teamwork effort rewards jackpot performance at Las Vegas

Teamwork, dedication and determination collided over the weekend for AM Racing to prepare the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) team for Friday night’s Strat 200 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.

While contending for a solid top-15 finish this past Saturday afternoon at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, the Mooresville, N.C.-based team found themselves a victim in a late race incident. The damage to the team’s No. 22 GO TEXAN | JB Henderson Construction Company Chevrolet Silverado sent the Eddie Troconis-led team pedaling hard back to the team’s shop in North Carolina to prepare another race truck to utilize for competition in the third Truck Series race of the season.

After nearly 36 hours of teamwork, focus, and diligence, the team was able to build a new Chevrolet Silverado for Self to compete with in his fifth race at the 1.5-mile speedway.

“I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of the guys on this AM Racing team,” said Self. “We struggled during the Atlanta race with our handling, but Eddie worked hard, and we got a lot better.

“Unfortunately, we were moving to the front when we got swept up in a crash on a late race restart.

“The truck was damaged pretty good, so the guys rushed back to the shop after the race and spent all day Sunday and Monday morning putting another truck together for this weekend. That meant a lot to me. Nobody complained. We all got in there and helped one another and hopefully our hard work will be rewarded in the race on Friday night.”

Self, 22, returns to Las Vegas after earning a ninth-place finish last September. Overall, the Austin, Texas native hasn’t finished worse than 21st in his four prior starts. He carries an average finish of 16.5 since 2016.

“I like racing at Las Vegas,” added Self. “Last March, the Truck Series race was crazy as the draft really came into effect and it provided a very entertaining race for the fans but a mentally exhausting race for the drivers. At times, it felt a lot like we were racing at Daytona or Talladega.

“I think you will see the same type of racing this weekend. It’s a very fast track and the temperatures will be cool so that will provide good racing. We need to bounce back after our Atlanta finish and get ourselves in a good spot to earn some more stage points and make a dent in the standings before taking our first break of the year. 

“Speed matters a lot at Vegas, but you need to handle too, especially over the bumps. Eddie is really smart when it comes to setup and I think our No. 22 GO TEXAN | JB Henderson Construction Company Chevrolet Silverado will be competitive from practice to the race. No matter what happens on Friday though, I’m proud of my guys and their commitment to get us to the race track.”

Kevin Cywinski, team manager for AM Racing says the morale around the shop hasn’t changed despite the long hours over the last few days.

“If you are looking for the true definition of teamwork, AM Racing was the place to be the last couple of days,” he said. “Eddie’s leadership and our guys’ commitment to get a truck built for Las Vegas shows their passion for not only racing – but their faith in Austin as a race car driver.

“Our goal is a top-10 finish on Friday night and if we can accomplish that, it will feel like a victory.”

The Texas Department of Agriculture’s GO TEXAN program and JB Henderson Construction will support Self in his 66th career start.

GO TEXAN, celebrating its 20th Birthday this year, represents Texas agri-business on state, national and international levels by building recognition with the GO TEXAN mark.

Along with its signature mark in the shape of Texas, GO TEXAN celebrates, promotes and supports the business savvy and plainspoken grit Texas agriculture is known for throughout the world.

JB Henderson Construction based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico performs general and mechanical contracting for manufacturing, industrial, commercial, and institutional clients in both the public and private sectors.

AM Technical Solutions, Don’t mess with Texas, CForce Bottling Company, Flying Circle and Kreuz Market will serve as associate partners in the third race of the year.

In 65 NGOTS races, the 2015 ARCA Menards Series Rookie of the Year has one top-five (second at Daytona 2017) and five top-10 finishes. The Texan maintains an average finish of 18.2 during his three years of competition.

For more on Austin Wayne Self, like his Facebook page (Austin Wayne Self) or follow him on Twitter @AustinWSelf.

For more on AM Racing, please like their Facebook page (AM Racing) or follow them on Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR. A new website is forthcoming.

Visit JB Henderson Construction at jbhenderson.com.

For more information on Don’t mess with Texas and how you can become involved in the program, visit dontmesswithtexas.org. 

For additional information on CForce premium artesian water, please visit cforce.com.

For more on Flying Circle, please visit flyingcirclegear.com, like them on Facebook (FlyingCircleGear) and follow them on Instagram (@flyingcirclegear) and Twitter (@flyingcircle_). Also connect with Flying Circle on Pinterest and YouTube.

The Strat 200 (134 laps| 201 miles) is the third of 23 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races on the 2019 schedule. Practice begins on Thurs., Feb. 28 from 2:05 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. A final practice session is set for 4:05 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Fri., Mar. 1 beginning at 2:10 p.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 6:00 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 (Pacific).

AM Racing PR