Bluffton’s Gus Dean wins in ARCA return at Talladega

Not only did Gus Dean make it all the way to the end in his second ARCA race – he finished ahead of everyone else.

The Bluffton driver won Friday night’s General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway, nudging ahead of Josh Williams after a restart with four laps to go. A wreck behind the leaders would put the race back under caution, and officials used a video review to determine Dean held the advantage.

With severe weather approaching the track, the race was declared final. Dean led a total of 21 laps in the No.98 Chevrolet, sponsored by heating and cooling manufacturer GREE.

The result was a complete reversal from Dean’s debut in an ARCA car two months ago in Daytona, when he was taken out as part of a nine-car pileup on the race’s second lap. He sat out the circuit’s next two races while seeking new sponsorship, then returned Friday to qualify second and run up front all race.

“I can’t thank GREE and Mason Mitchell Motorsports enough. They gave me a second chance and we didn’t disappoint,” Dean stated in victory lane. “We had a top-notch car all day long in practice, qualifying and the race.”

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 11:31 PM with the headline "Bluffton’s Gus Dean wins in ARCA return at Talladega."