Gus Dean Looks To Bookend ARCA Menards Series Season with Another Victory
BROOKLYN, Mich: Last month, ARCA Menards Series veteran Gus Dean returned to one of his favorite short tracks on the tour at Salem (Ind.) Speedway. This weekend, Dean returns to his favorite non-superspeedway tracks hiding in the Irish Hills of Michigan for Friday evening’s Henry Ford Health 100 at Michigan International Speedway.
Dean’s return to Salem Speedway for the first time since the 2018 season appeared like it was going to end with another top-five finish, but late in the race, contact from another competitor shoved Dean into the Turns 3 and 4 wall causing suspension damage and left the Bluffton, S.C. native and the team with a frustrating 14th place finish.
Surging forward, returning to the massive 2.0-mile oval of Michigan International Speedway, Dean hopes to build on his impressive performance last year, which earned him a runner-up finish in the final ARCA Menards Series race of the 2023 season.
When it comes to Michigan, the track has been one of Dean’s best race tracks throughout his ARCA Menards Series career, which began in 2016.
Since joining the tour full-time in the 2017 season, Dean has earned four consecutive top-five finishes, with his best finish of second last August.
The afternoon was promising for the three-time ARCA Menards Series winner after qualifying on the outside pole, Dean led 18 of the 100 laps before finishing 0.115 seconds behind Venturini Motorsports teammate Jesse Love.
This week, Dean looks to earn Venturini Motorsports their 102nd ARCA Menards Series victory in his scheduled final race of the season.
“I can’t wait to get to Michigan this weekend,” said Dean. “I’ve always had the utmost respect for Michigan International Speedway since my first ARCA start in 2017 and I’ve just always run well there.
“We had a rocket ship of a car last week and I’m excited about the opportunity to return to Michigan and have a shot at putting our car back in Victory Lane for my final time this season.”
When it comes to mastering Michigan International Speedway, Dean said having a well-balanced car that can withstand holding wide open early in a run and particularly during a qualifying run paves the way for the opportunity to have a strong race while also having a whole lot of fun.
“We go faster at Michigan than we do at Daytona and Talladega,” added Dean. “I know that some will think that is crazy, but it’s the truth. I have been fortunate throughout my racing career that when I’ve always come to Michigan, I’ve had fast race cars.
“I don’t expect anything different this weekend. We’re in rebound mode this weekend. We felt like we were robbed of a top-five at Salem Speedway with a little over-aggression by another driver. We’re trying to put that back in the rear-view mirror and look forward to Friday afternoon’s race.”
Dean is eyeing his fifth top-10 finish this season in six ARCA races overall. The South Carolinian started the year with an emotional win at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February. He returned at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April with a fourth-place finish. Prior to Salem, Dean attracted two more top-10 finishes with sixth and seventh-place efforts at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway respectively.
This weekend, Dean wants nothing more than to end his ARCA season the same way he started.
“I’m so proud of the hard work of Kevin (Reed Jr.), Doug (George), and the entire Venturini Motorsports team,” reflected Dean. “Every single race track this season, I’ve shown up with a car with a lot of speed and the anticipation that we can win. We won at Daytona and to cap off a strong record at Michigan with another checkered flag would be just as emotional.
“I just cannot thank Venturini Motorsports for their efforts this year and continue to bring fast Toyota Camrys to the race track.”
Palmetto Grain Brokerage will serve as the primary partner on Dean’s automobile for the 13th ARCA race of the season. They debuted with Dean at Iowa Speedway in June for the seventh race of the year and expanded their partnership at Salem Speedway in the 11th ARCA race of the season.
Nestled in Ridgeland, South Carolina, Palmetto Grain Brokerage was founded in 1985 by Edgar Woods, with a mission to help agricultural producers increase revenues. Their staff is dedicated to providing the best service in the Ag industry.
“I’m thrilled to continue my partnership with another local company and have Palmetto Grain Brokerage back on board with us this weekend at Michigan International Speedway,” added Dean.
“They have really enjoyed the exposure and competition in the ARCA Menards Series. For them to expand their presence with a three-race deal with myself and the Venturini Motorsports team means a lot.
“We’ve been strong in both races with Palmetto Grain Brokerage on board and I’m hoping third times a charm and we’re able to deliver them a trip to Victory Lane when the checkered flag waves on Friday evening.”
“They enjoyed the exposure and I believe they saw the benefit of a Motorsports partnership. With some business connections near Salem Speedway, it made sense for the partnership to continue for Saturday night.
“We were strong at Iowa Speedway but missed the opportunity to bring them a top-five at Iowa. I’m going to Salem to make it up to them with a top-five or that checkered flag.”
Following Michigan, an announcement is expected for Dean’s return to NASCAR later this season.
Since 2016, Dean has 69 ARCA Menards Series starts to his credit, two poles, three wins, 22 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes.
For more on Venturini Motorsports, please visit venturinimotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Venturini Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@venturinimotorsports) and X |Twitter (@VenturiniMotor).
For more on Gus Dean, please visit GusDean.com, like him on Facebook (Gus Dean Racing) and follow him on Instagram and Twitter (@GusDean).
The Henry Ford Health 200 (100 laps | 200 miles) is the 13th of 20 races on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins Friday, August 16, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying follows beginning at 2:30 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag later in the day shortly after 6:00 p.m. ET. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and streaming on FloRacing. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).
About Venturini Motorsports:
Venturini Motorsports (VMS) is a highly touted fixture in the ARCA Racing Series, having claimed 99 ARCA victories and, most recently, the 2023 ARCA Championship and 2023 ARCA West Championships. The Concord, N.C.-based VMS is an official Toyota Racing Development team and is considered one of the early pioneers in NASCAR driver development programs.
VMS has gone on to assist many of the sports’ top driver prospects in pursuit of making it to the highest levels of stock car racing.
The growing list of drivers racing today in one of NASCAR’s top three touring series includes current Toyota drivers Christopher Bell, Chandler Smith, Bubba Wallace, Corey Heim, John Hunter Nemechek and Dean Thompson.
VMS Alumni also include Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Harrison Burton, William Byron, Christian Eckes, Todd Gilliland, Justin Haley, Brandon Jones, Erik Jones, Jesse Love, Zane Smith and Daniel Suárez.
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