Fresh off his first career victory in Mud Truck competition this past weekend in Ulmer, South Carolina, Gus Dean heads to Iowa Speedway, eyeing his second ARCA Menards Series win of the season in Friday night’s Atlas 150.
On the heels of finishing sixth in his most recent ARCA race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway with the potent Venturini Motorsports, Dean headed back home to Bluffton, S.C., where he and his Dean Racing team finalized the final touches of his brand-new Vengeance Mega Mud Truck.
Their hard work paid off with a resounding victory in the Mud Truck competition, adding another racing trophy to Dean’s already impressive collection. From Late Models to ARCA and now Mega Mud Trucks, Dean’s recent success has ignited a new wave of excitement, and he is hoping to keep the momentum on his side as he heads to Iowa Speedway.
“Winning last weekend was huge,” said Dean. “The Mud Trucks are extremely powerful when it comes to horsepower and such. It took me a bit to understand how to drive them, but with the guidance of Duke Bohanon with Wicked Fabrications (the truck builder) and the longtime support of Jeff and Keith Dorton of Automotive Specialties, we have been inching closer and closer to a win. I was stoked to get that done last weekend, and now I’ve sent my sights to Iowa.”
Dean’s return to the Iowa Speedway is momentous. This is his third career start in the ARCA Menards Series at this renowned track, and it is also his first appearance since the 2018 season, adding more anticipation to the upcoming race.
While his track record at the 0.875-mile isn’t the greatest, Dean does have a top-10 finish in his inaugural ARCA start in 2017. Paying attention to recent ARCA Menards Series races at the Midwest short track, Dean hopes to quickly get back up to speed at Iowa and contend for his fourth career victory.
“I liked Iowa – we just never had a comfortable setup that made us a factor,” explained Dean. “This weekend is going to be a little different with portions of the track being repaved, but I’m ready to adapt. I believe that will put most of the field back on the same playing field, and I’m confident in my ability to make the necessary adjustments to stay competitive.”
Dean, in collaboration with his crew chief Kevin Reed Jr., is meticulously preparing a fast Toyota Camry for Venturini Motorsports. Dean believes the track’s repaving will level the playing field. Their strategy is to fine-tune the car’s performance during practice and qualifying, aiming to position themselves as strong contenders in the race.
“We’ll play our cards, and when push comes to shove, I hope we are on the hunt Friday night.”
Dean, a native of Bluffton, S.C. has been embracing a solid limited ARCA Menards Series schedule season.
He started the year with a victory at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February in an emotional dedication to his grandfather, who passed away in the weeks leading up to the series season opener.
He returned to the series in April at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and managed a fourth-place finish in an uncharacteristically calm superspeedway race. Most recently, Dean qualified on the outside pole at Charlotte but struggled with the handling of his race car, finishing sixth.
Still, Dean heads to his fourth race of the season with an average finish of 3.7.
“I am thankful to everyone at Venturini Motorsports for their hard work,” added Dean. “Our speed at Charlotte was awesome, but the track characteristics changed and we just missed it a little bit. We’ll be OK this weekend at Iowa, I know it.”
Dean will welcome a new partner aboard his No. 55 Toyota Camry for the third consecutive race.
Palmetto Grain Brokerage will serve as the primary partner on Dean’s automobile for the seventh ARCA race of the season.
Nestled in Ridgeland, South Carolina, Palmetto Grain Brokerage was founded in 1985 by Edgar Woods, with a mission to help agricultural producers increase revenues.
Their staff is dedicated to providing the best service in the Ag industry.
“I’m thrilled to partner with another local company and welcome Palmetto Grain Brokerage to Venturini Motorsports and the ARCA Menards Series,” added Dean. “This is our third new partner that we’ve had this season and I’d like nothing more than to welcome them to racing with a victory on Friday night.”
Following Iowa, Dean will return to the ARCA Menards Series at Salem Speedway on July 27th.
Since 2016, Dean has 67 ARCA Menards Series starts to his credit, two poles, three wins, 22 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes.
For more on Venturini Motorsports, please visit venturinimotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Venturini Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@venturinimotorsports) and X |Twitter (@VenturiniMotor).
For more on Gus Dean, please visit GusDean.com, like him on Facebook (Gus Dean Racing) and follow him on Instagram and Twitter (@GusDean).
The Atlas 150 (150 laps | 131.25 miles) is the seventh of 20 races on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice is set for Friday, June 14, from 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. Group qualifying will begin at 3:00 p.m. The race is set for later in the day, scheduled to take the green flag shortly after 7:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. ET). The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM channel 391 | online channel 981) handling the radio waves. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (CT).
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