Bluffton’s Gus Dean gears up for 2nd chance this weekend in Talladega

The No. 98 Chevrolet comes with a brand new look — new primary sponsor, new paint scheme, with blue and orange the dominant colors rather than the previous black.

“I got a chance to run by and look at it the other day,” Gus Dean said. “It’s a good-looking car. I’m definitely looking forward to getting behind the wheel.”

You might call it a fresh start as the 21-year-old Bluffton driver returns to racing’s ARCA circuit Friday at Talladega Superspeedway. On the other hand, his second start on the developmental circuit represents a lot of unfinished business after his first one ended so abruptly.

“We are focused on finishing what we started at Daytona,” said Dean, whose debut two months ago at Daytona didn’t last two full laps before he was taken out as part of a chain collision that collected nine cars in all.

“This is our comeback tour, if you will. I think the whole team has a little bit of redemption in mind. We want to show those boys what we came to do.”

The General Tire 200 runs Friday night, leading off Talladega’s three-day race weekend that culminates in the GEICO 500, where Dale Earnhardt Jr. defends his title in this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Qualifying takes place Friday morning.

“Daytona International Speedway holds a special place in every racer’s heart,” Dean said, “but Talladega is right there as well. It’s definitely a big deal for me — especially if I get some race experience this time.”

At Daytona, Dean seemingly had hardly gotten his seat warm when he was forced to unbuckle himself from his disabled vehicle as the smoke from screeching tires settled.

Teammate Cole Powell, running on Dean’s outside, got bumped from behind by Derrick Lancaster and got a little airborne in Daytona’s trioval. Powell veered into Dean, pushing both toward the infield before Dean’s car turned back toward the track.

Dean pinballed into three more cars before coming back toward the grass.

“It’s unfortunate,” Dean said, “but I said from the beginning that it was a blessing just to be there. Everything after that was a blessing on top. Not quite as many as we hoped, but blessings nonetheless.”

Team owner Mason Mitchell said: “We understand it’s part of racing. I was heartbroken for Gus more than anything. But now we have a second chance together and Mason Mitchell Motorsports is more than prepared to finish what we started a few months ago.”

It’s taken two months for Dean and his MMM team to find a second opportunity. The Daytona start was a one-race deal with Carrier Home Comfort Systems, which never materialized into anything more even as Dean became one of the top qualifiers.

This time his car is sponsored by GREE, another heating and cooling manufacturer found through the Dean family’s connections in that industry. Baker Distributing, Dean’s longtime sponsor in various late-model series, brought the two sides together.

GREE, parent company of Tradewinds Climate Systems, ranks 385th on Forbes’ Global 2000 list with business in 160 countries.

This deal guarantees Dean two races — Talladega and a June race at Pocono Speedway in Pennsylvania, where GREE has significant business interests.

“I think they’re very excited about the opportunity that lays ahead,” Dean said. “But they understand how racing works. Just like what happened to us at Daytona, you can have the best car and best intentions but things don’t work out. We’re going to give them the best effort we can.”

Okatie’s Cab Installers also is back as an associate sponsor.

During the interim, Dean has stayed busy racing super late models in Florida and the Carolinas. Asked if there was anything from Daytona that would help him at Talladega, he said the experience from practice and drafting sessions was no less valuable.

“It’s the things you do in practice and in the draft that carry forward,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be learned in the race. You can learn in the draft. It’s good to have those basics already in your back pocket.”

Now if Dean can just survive the tight quarters on those early laps.

“We want to come back with all four fenders,” he quipped.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Bluffton’s Gus Dean gears up for 2nd chance this weekend in Talladega."