Cunningham Motorsports, the Official Driver Development Team for Penske Racing, has signed Austin Wayne Self, the driver from Austin, Texas to drive in at least five ARCA short-track races during the 2013 season. The 16-year old development driver will be teamed up with veteran Crew Chief Paul Andrews in the No. 22 Dodge.
“We are very excited to have Austin joining our team next season. He is a very talented and impactful driverwith a great fan base.We are confident thathe will be an asset to our organization both on and off the track,” said Kerry Scherer, Co-Owner of Cunningham. “I think the hardest adjustment we will have to makeas an organizationis learning how to use Facebook so we can keep up with him.”
“The opportunity to drive for Cunningham with Penske support is so awesome. It’s what we work so hard for every day,” said Self. “I have to thank God for giving me this opportunity and I want to thank Paul, Mr. Scherer, Mr. Cunningham and the rest of the Cunningham Motorsports crew for having enough faith in me to let me drive for the 22 team. I also want to thank Andy Santerre and my whole Sellers Racing Team for helping me get to this point and making it all possible for me. This is also great news for our amazing fans and the amazing companies that have supported us. Their faith and support is what keeps it all going and I hope this makes them as happy as it makes me.”
Behind the wheel since the age of four, Self has been competing this year in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series in the No. 07 Sport Clips/Big Red Chevy Impala and currently sits well inside the top 20 in the national standings.
“I have to agree with Austin on this one, it’s pretty awesome,” said Tim Self, President of AM Racing. “We are still building Austin’s 2013 race schedule. So far we have at least five races with Cunningham and plans are underway to have five to six NASCAR K&N races on the 2013 schedule as well. The 18-year old age limit ARCA imposes for 1-mile or larger tracks makes it tough to fill out the ARCA side of the schedule, but hopefully we will be able to squeeze in a few more races with Cunningham. That’s our goal.”
“We also plan to pick up a 12-pack or so of NASCAR Late Model races with Sellers and round out another 27-race schedule. All in all, 2013 is going to be a very busy season for Austin as he races for three different teams in three different series with multiple sponsors. We are blessed to have this opportunity. It was completely unexpected. God may not be predictable but he is always dependable,” added Mr. Self.
Austin Self PR
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