Bluffton driver earns one more start on ARCA racing circuit
Gus Dean will make at least one more start on the ARCA Racing Series schedule, as primary sponsor GREE announced Saturday it would enter the Bluffton driver at next weekend’s stop at Kentucky Speedway in hopes of picking up a second victory.
Dean, who won last April in his second career ARCA start, will drive the No.98 Chevrolet next Friday in the Crosley Brands 150, which is the next-to-last event on the schedule. The race serves as a lead-in to the NASCAR Xfinity Series race one day later.
It’ll be the 21-year-old driver’s sixth start on the developmental circuit, and first since a July race at Pocono.
“It feels like an eternity,” Dean said. “We’ve had a great year and, even though Pocono didn’t turn out like we liked, we still were able to overcome our hiccups and finish inside the top 15. Next Friday night, we want to get ourselves another win and see if that’s enough to sail us into Kansas to run in the season finale.”
GREE, with Tradewinds Climate Systems as its master U.S. distributor, is the world’s largest manufacturer of specialized cooling and heating products. The company has teamed with Mason Mitchell Motorsports for four previous races in 2016, including April’s triumph at Talladega that was settled via video review.
“We all continue to be impressed with Gus’s driving capabilities, as well as his desire to stand up and fight through adversity,” said Tradewinds president Dave Pearson. “We’re excited to get to Kentucky and see the results firsthand.”
Team owner Mason Mitchell again will serve as Dean’s crew chief at Kentucky, the same role he took at Talladega. The team also will take part in an open test Tuesday to get accustomed to the 1.5-mile track, which was fully repaved last spring.
“(Mitchell) is very confident about the car we are bringing and the chances we have for the race,” Dean said.
This story was originally published September 18, 2016 at 12:25 AM with the headline "Bluffton driver earns one more start on ARCA racing circuit."