Victory at Talladega gives Bluffton’s Gus Dean full reversal of racing fortune

Had the caution light come on five seconds earlier — or two seconds later — the storybook ending would have had a little less shine.

Within those 7 serendipitous seconds, Gus Dean’s second opportunity behind the wheel of an ARCA race car came out perfect — a one-race turnaround from the wrecker to Victory Lane.

“It’s still hard to believe it was that close — but it’s hard to believe it actually happened,” the Bluffton driver said Saturday, less than 24 hours after capturing the General Tire 200 in a video review as the race ended under caution at Talladega Superspeedway.

“That small margin of error is just one of those things in racing where it’s either on your side or against you.”

It was on Dean’s side Friday, as he piloted his No. 98 Chevrolet ahead of Josh Williams just as a multi-car crash was unfolding behind the leaders.

Two months earlier, the opposite had been true as Dean’s ARCA debut at Daytona — and perhaps his only chance on the circuit — ended on the second lap when he was collected in a chain wreck that took out nine cars.

“The stars lined up and we were able to pull it off,” said Dean, who arrived at Talladega with a new primary sponsor in GREE Cooling Products. “It created the perfect comeback story.”

Dean’s car had been strong all day, qualifying second on the grid and running in the top five for most of the race. Three laps before the finish, he held the lead as a previous caution period went back to green.

Williams got some drafting help to move in front, leading by three car lengths at one point. But Dean also got a draft push from Tom Hessert to close the gap, overtaking Williams by half a car length down the backstretch.

Williams surged again and nudged back in front a few seconds later as the final wreck unfolded behind them. With darkness falling and storms approaching, ARCA officials declared the race over two laps before its intended finish.

The only question then was to determine who was in front when the caution light came on. Race announcers originally handed the win to Williams, but officials went to video review to confirm while the cars will still circling the track.

“It felt like years,” Dean said. “There were a lot of prayers said in that time. It felt like eons before they came to their conclusion ... but I’d say it was probably around five minutes.”

Officials determined the light had come on during those 7 seconds Dean was in front. The margin of victory: About 2 feet.

Word was radioed back to Dean, setting off “a lot of screaming,” he said.

“To be able to do a burnout on the front stretch of Talladega Superspeedway,” the 21-year-old driver said, “that was incredible. It was an unbelievable feeling to see my crew run out on the front stretch and me pull up to them in my car, as I’d see so many of my racing heroes do over the years.”

The question now is whether Dean and team owner Mason Mitchell Motorsports can parlay Friday’s victory into something longer term.

GREE, parent company of Tradewinds Climate Systems, came on board for a two-race arrangement — Talladega and a June race at Pocono Speedway in Pennsylvania. But that was before their car found its way to Victory Lane.

Dean said a handful of GREE executives were able to celebrate with him on the Talladega infield, with perhaps two dozen more in the grandstands.

“I was able to thank them for everything they’ve done for me,” he said.

The business side of things, though, is still to come.

“Once they add up the numbers of what they got out of their sponsorship dollars, they’ll determine if it’s an investment they’d like to grow,” Dean said.

“It’s a very large decision on their part, not something they can decide to do or not do overnight, no matter the situation. It’ll definitely involve a lot of (conversation) on both sides before the final determination.”

Nothing can take away that first win, though — one Dean also dedicated in Victory Lane to the memory of Alex Arrieta, the Hilton Head Island boy whose battle with leukemia came to a heartbreaking end Wednesday.

A ribbon with Arrieta’s name already had been part of Dean’s paint scheme when the car left for Talledega early in the week.

“I feel maybe Alex was driving with me,” Dean said, “and gave me that extra to get ahead before the caution came.”

This story was originally published April 30, 2016 at 8:52 PM with the headline "Victory at Talladega gives Bluffton’s Gus Dean full reversal of racing fortune."