NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series News and Notes
Event: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series 250
Date: Saturday, March 23, 2019
Venue: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
• This Week’s Young’s Motorsports’ Chevrolet Silverado at the Martinsville Speedway … Gus Dean will pilot Chassis No. 101 in the Martinsville 250 at the Martinsville Speedway. This Young’s Motorsports-prepared chassis was last unloaded at the ISM Raceway on November 9, 2018 with driver Tanner Thorson, led by crew chief Andrew Abbott, where they finished in the 18th-place after starting in the 21st-place. Thorson also took the reins of chassis No. 101 at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and the Martinsville Speedway, and Austin Hill was behind-the-wheel of this chassis at both the Dover (Del.) International Speedway and the Iowa Speedway in 2018.
Virginia is for Lovers … This weekend marks Gus Dean’s first Martinsville Speedway appearance with the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.
• Short Track Stats: This weekend marks Gus Dean’s short track debut in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. In 20 combined Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Racing Series starts on short tracks (less than one mile in length), the Bluffton, S.C.,-native boasts one victory (Elko Speedway 2018), eight top-five finishes, and 16 top-10 finishes.
Atop the Pit Box: Jeff Stankiewicz … Jeff Stankiewicz, crew chief of the No. 12 OverkillRV.comChevrolet Silverado has nine starts at Martinsville, Va.,-facility in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.
In the Rearview Mirror: Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Gus Dean, driver of the No. 12 Overkill Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado for Young’s Motorsports, finished in the 22nd-place in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Strat 200 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, March 1. The 24-year old started in the 26th-place in the 32-truck. After quickly moving through the field, Dean finished Stage 1 in the 16th-place on Lap 30, and at the end of Stage 2 on Lap 60, he was in the 21st-place.
Dean was able to advance as high as the 11th-place in the running order. The Bluffton, S.C.,-native suffered minor damage after contact with the wall, and due to a flat tire, the No. 12 Overkill Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado had to pit under green-flag conditions. Dean was able to persevere, finishing in the 22nd-place four laps behind the leader.
• Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series History at the Martinsville Speedway … This weekend will mark Young’s Motorsports’ 14th, 15th, and 16th NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) starts at the Martinsville, Va.,-facility. The organization posted a team best finish of ninth-place with driver Austin Hill on March 26, 2018. The 13 previous starts at the .526-mile paperclip-shaped track have earned Young’s Motorsports an average starting position of 19.1 and an average finish of 19.4.
• Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series History … Since entering the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series in 2012, the Mooresville, N.C.,-based organization has logged 171 starts from 24 drivers, resulting in solid performances that include three top-five finishes and 19 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 19.7 and an average finishing position of 19.2.
• Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 … Young’s Motorsports 2019 Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Gus Dean and Tyler Dippel participated in a test session at the Martinsville Speedway on March 7.
• Putting the Young in Young’s Motorsports … Young’s Motorsports team principal Tyler Young has six starts in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series at the Martinsville Speedway.
• Meet Young’s Motorsports’ Drivers … Spencer Boyd, Gus Dean, and Tyler Dippel are scheduled to participate in an autograph session with the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. (ET) on Friday, March 22 located in front of the administration building and ticket office for the Martinsville Speedway.
• Follow Young’s Motorsports on Social Media … To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, visit Young’s Motorsports’ Twitter page – @youngsmtrsports, and on Instagram at @youngsmotorsports. “Like” Young’s Motorsports on the official Facebook page at /youngsmotorsports.
• Also, follow the Young’s Motorsports drivers on their personal Twitter pages – @SpencerBoyd, @GusDean, and @Tyler_Dippel. You can also “like” Spencer Boyd on his official Facebook page at Facebook.com/spencerboydracingfanpage, Gus Dean on his official Facebook page at Facebook.com/gusdeanracing and Tyler Dippel on his official Facebook page at Facebook.com/TylerDippelRacing. In addition, catch our drivers on Instagram at @spencerboydpr, @gusdean and @tylerdippel.
• Catch the Action … The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series 250 will be broadcast live on FOX and the FOX Sports app. on Saturday, March 23 starting with NASCAR RaceDay at 1:30 p.m. (ET). It will also broadcast live at 1:30 p.m. (ET) on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Qualifying for the fourth event of the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedule will air on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (ET) on FS1 and the FOX Sports app.
The Martinsville 250 at the Martinsville Speedway will re-air on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on FS1 and the FOX Sports app.
Quoting Gus Dean:
“I am looking forward to my Martinsville Speedway NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series debut. My background is on short tracks, and I hope to be able to step-up to the plate and put our Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado up-front on Saturday afternoon at the Martinsville Speedway.
“Even though I have never been to Martinsville, I have been making sure to take the steps to get accustomed to the track as best as I can through a recent test, some iRacing and talking extensively to my owner Tyler (Young), crew chief Jeff (Stankiewicz) and my mentor Todd (Bodine).”
ON THE MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY TEST:
“I’m really proud of the strides our Young’s Motorsports crew made during the test. We kept working on our Chevrolet Silverado and the speed we were able to get out of the truck at the end of the day is getting us all excited about going back to the track and having an opportunity at a top-10 finish.
“I know that the Martinsville Speedway is a pretty aggressive race, but I’m ready to buckle down and get after it and bring home a good finish to carry us to the Texas Motor Speedway.”