HOMESTEAD, Fla.: With the checkered flag in sight in his rookie NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) season for Young’s Motorsports, driver Gus Dean (@gusdean) heads to Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway for Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200 eyeing a career-best finish.
Dean, a native of Bluffton S.C. has never been to the fancy 1.5-mile speedway in the heart of South Florida, but the two-time ARCA Menards Series winner has plenty of people surrounding him that have a ton of knowledge at the Homestead, Fla.-based track.
Not only is Dean, 25, leaning on his truck owner Tyler Young for feedback to negotiate the track, but the popular driver has also again turned to two-time Truck Series champion and former Homestead-Miami Speedway winner Todd Bodine for advice.
“I’m going with what I know,” Dean said with a chuckle. “Last weekend, I had never been to ISM Raceway, but talking to a lot of people including Tyler and Mr. Todd – I was able to feed off their advice and get into a good rhythm during the race.
“Unfortunately, our No. 12 LG Air Conditioning Technologies got a little too tight there at the end of the race and it hindered us from bettering our top-20 performance. We’ll dig deep this week at Homestead and see if we can’t bring home a top-10 finish.”
Another tool that Dean is using to his advantage is video. Focused on making his 23rd start in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series a memorable one, Dean has been watching video of prior NGOTS races at Homestead looking for that extra little advantage for his No. 12 LG Air Conditioning Technologies team.
“Homestead looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun” offered Dean. “From what everyone tells me you need to have a lot of grip to be able to propel off the corners and onto the straightways. We’ll work hard on our No. 12 LG Air Conditioning Technologies truck during practice and hope we keep up with the adjustments throughout the day that put us in a good position for the race.”
LG Air Conditioning Technologies and Baker Distributing return for their eighth sponsored race of the 2019 season in Friday night’s 134-lap rumble.
“We’ve had a lot of exposure with LG Air Conditioning Technologies and Baker Distributing this season and I want to continue that at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend,” added Dean. “The best way to do that is finding our way to the front.
“It’s going to be another race with a competitive field this weekend, but I have confidence in my crew chief Pickle (Ryan Loudon) that we can get our No. 12 LG Air Conditioning Technologies Chevrolet Silverado dialed in to be a contender when it counts most.
“Homestead is a championship race and I’m certainly going to be respectful of the competition and what is at stake, but I have a job to do for LG Air Conditioning Technologies, Baker Distributing and Young’s Motorsports.
“We’re going to have a lot of guests at Homestead on Friday night, so we just need to stay focused, work hard and hope when the checkered flag falls – everyone is satisfied with our finish!”
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 Ford EcoBoost 200 (134 laps | 201 miles) is the 23rd of 23 races on the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedule. Practice begins on Fri., Nov. 15 from 9:05 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. A final practice has been etched in from 10:35 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day beginning at 4:35 p.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 8:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).
About LG Electronics USA Air Conditioning Technologies:
The LG Electronics USA Air Conditioning Technologies business (lghvac.com) 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.
About Baker Distributing Company:
Baker Distributing Company (bakerdist.com), founded in 1945, 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.