Gus Dean back in the saddle at Hickory Motor Speedway
HICKORY, N.C.: Veteran racer Gus Dean (@gusdean) returns to the seat this weekend at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway aboard the No. 21D Chevrolet SS Late Model for DLP Motorsports.
Dean, the Bluffton, S.C. native is utilizing the seat time to keep him sharp as he prepares for a hopeful aggressive schedule throughout the remainder of the 2021 Motorsports season.
Typically, Dean is a veteran of Super Late Models but when Mooresville, N.C.-based DLP Motorsports asked Dean to hop in one of their cars and compete in Saturday night’s 75-lapper Carolina Pro Late Model event, the South Carolinian was happy to oblige.
“I’m just happy to be back in a racecar this weekend,” said Dean, a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series. “We didn’t have the month we were looking for in February at both New Smyrna and at Daytona, but that’s behind us and we’re focusing ahead and hopeful for a good weekend at Hickory with Buggy and the DLP Motorsports team.”
Dean is no stranger to one of NASCAR’s historic short tracks, but with a talented field of drivers expected for the race Saturday night, Dean is prepared to be cautiously aggressive.
“I’m coming to Hickory to win this weekend, but I realize I also have to be respectful to the teams and drivers who are racing at Hickory on a weekly basis for a championship,” added Dean. “I’m here to race hard, turn left and go fast – but I don’t want to put myself in a vulnerable position either.
“We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
In addition to experience in Late Models at the half-mile oval, he also made four starts at Hickory in the Pro Cup Series (now CARS Tour) where he earned one top-five and four top-10s.
“Hickory is a demanding short track where there is plenty of room to race – but it is such a sensitive race track when it comes to weather and grip. It showcases some of the same characteristics of short tracks that I competed on in ARCA. It’s a race track where you definitely have to get up on the wheel.”
While Dean still plans to have a presence in NASCAR this season, his Dean Racing team is also working hard to keep him behind the seat of a Super Late Model too.
“We have a lot going on right now behind the scenes and I look forward to making some announcements soon,” Dean continued. “Racing is everything to me and we are working hard to make sure that when I get on the track this spring, summer and fall – anything I climb into will give me the opportunity to showcase my ability and challenge for the win.
“Daytona was a huge disappointment and definitely hard to swallow. I vowed that I would be back, and I will. Stay tuned!”
For more on Gus Dean, please visit GusDean.com, like him on Facebook (Gus Dean Racing) and follow him on Twitter (@GusDean).
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