TALLADEGA, Ala.: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) Rookie of the Year candidate Gus Dean (@gusdean) knows his way to Victory Lane at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and he hopes to guide his Young’s Motorsports team there in Saturday afternoon’s Sugarlands Shine 250.
Dean, a native of Bluffton, S.C. burst onto the ARCA Menards Series scene in 2016 and scored his first career victory in just his second career start at the 2.66-mile superspeedway driving for Mason Mitchell Motorsports.
Fast forward to 2019, the 24-year-old has a plethora of superspeedway starts to his advantage and sees the opportunity to showcase his superspeedway skills once again aboard his No. 12 LG Air Conditioning Technologies Chevrolet Silverado.
“I’ve had this race circled on my calendar since we announced we were going Truck Series racing back in January,” said Dean. “Without a doubt, I believe our Young’s Motorsports showcased our potential to contend and be a threat for a win at Daytona in February – but this time, we’re coming to Talladega fully loaded and ready to deliver.”
While Dean, a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series has certainly endured some rookie bumps this season, the avid racer has increased his presence inside the top-10 over the past eight weeks and hopes to continue that trend as LG Air Conditioning Technologies and Baker Distributing returns for their sixth sponsored race of the 2019 season.
Dean credits spotter Tyler Green for being a major asset to his winning ways at Talladega Superspeedway three years ago and with Green back on the spotting tower for Saturday afternoon’s 94-lap race, Dean believes he’ll have the right components to pull off a potential upset amidst the heart of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs.
“The chemistry between myself and Tyler is incredible,” added Dean. “He has taught me a lot during my racing career. From ARCA to Trucks, he’s been a great mentor from up above. He knows my driving style when it comes to the superspeedway and he quickly adapts to it.
“We are both determined to go to Talladega and bring back the magic we had a couple of years ago and believe I want nothing more than to deliver for LG Air Conditioning Technologies, Baker Distributing and my Young’s Motorsports team.”
Green a full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series spotter for Kurt Busch praised Dean’s craft on the superspeedways.
“Superspeedway racing is always a challenge whether you are a driver or a spotter,” he said. “Race winning moves are made in a split-second decisions. It is very important to have the drivers trust their spotter and I feel like Gus and I have that bond.
“He’s always been a tremendous superspeedway racer and (I) think he’ll continue to showcase that on Saturday.”
In Dean’s Truck Series debut at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, he qualified an impressive 12th and recovered from being involved in a mid-race incident to draft back inside the top-five and challenge for the race win before being collected in an accident two laps from the finish. He finished 15th.
“Hard to believe, there are only four races left this season,” sounded Dean. “Four more opportunities to get into Victory Lane.”
For more on Gus Dean, please visit his GusDean.com or like him on Facebook.
Dean tweets too. Follow him on Twitter @GusDean.
To learn more about LG Air Conditioning Technologies, please visit lghvac.com.
For more on Baker Distributing Company, please visit bakerdist.com.
For more information on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, follow @youngsmtrsports on Twitter, @youngsmotorsports on Instagram and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/YoungsMotorsports.
The Sugarlands Shine 250 (94 laps | 250.04 miles) is the 20th of 23 races on the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedule. Practice begins on Fri., Oct. 11 from 11:35 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. A final practice has been etched in from 2:35 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Sat., Oct. 12 beginning at 9:35 a.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 12:30 p.m. with live coverage on FOX, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Central).
About LG Electronics USA Air Conditioning Technologies:
The LG Electronics USA Air Conditioning Technologies business is based in Alpharetta, Ga. LG is a leading player in the global air conditioning market, manufacturing both commercial and residential air conditioners and providing total sustainability and building management solutions. From consumer and individual units to industrial and specialized air conditioning systems, LG provides a wide range of products for heating, ventilating and air conditioning.
The company’s industry-leading variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology minimizes efficiency losses, provides sustainable energy savings and offers some of the lowest life cycle cost of any system on the market today. LG is a 2018 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year-Sustained Excellence. LG Electronics USA, based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics Inc., a $55 billion global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, mobile communications, home appliances and air solutions.
For more information, please visit lghvac.com.
About Baker Distributing Company:
Founded in 1945, Baker Distributing Company (bakerdist.com) is engaged in the sales and distribution of HVAC, refrigeration and food service, equipment, parts and supplies for residential and commercial applications.
With over 200 locations in 22 states, each Baker Distributing Sales Center is staffed by the most knowledgeable and customer service-oriented people in our industry. With a complete inventory of HVAC/R products and technical assistance, our Sales Centers can provide you with the products and information you need to make your job and you more efficient.