Austin Wayne Self will compete in his first ARCA Racing Series race of the 2015 season this Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. Coincidentally, the first race of the 
season will also be Self’s first race on the Daytona track. While Self has practiced on the speedway in the past, he was unable to compete in last year’s race because he did not meet the ARCA age limit required to compete on speedways and race tracks that are over one mile long. Another accomplishment Self will be able to check off his list once the race is completed will be his first race with his new race team, Mason Mitchell Motorsports.
Not only will the Lucas Oil 200 presented by Menard’s mark many firsts for Self, but it will also mark his final “Rookie” race. The 2014 SCOTT Rookie of the Year will be considered a rookie for one last time since he has yet to compete at Daytona. Self will look to win one more SCOTT Rookie Challenge as well as gain his first ARCA Series win to put him in the lead for the season championship points early.
“I’m really excited for this weekend’s race at Daytona. We’ve worked really hard during the off-season to get to this point. I think everyone will be looking at the MMM team to see what we’ve got. When you have the 2014 ARCA Rookie of the Year and 2014 ARCA Champion racing and working together as a team, you’re definitely a threat in the competition. We ran really well during the Daytona practice session in December and January. It’s time to take what we learned during those sessions and apply them during the race. It will be my first time racing Daytona so a few nerves here and there but, I’m excited to get back in the 98 AM Technical Solutions Ford and work with my teammate to the finish.” – Austin Wayne Self
Fans can expect to see a lot of Austin around the track as he will participate in several public 
appearances and special events during the Lucas Oil 200 and NASCAR Speedweeks weekend. Self plans to exchange Valentine’s Day cards with his young fans during the Open ARCA garage hours and autograph sessions, as well as special edition Hero Cards during an appearance at the Ford Racing display. Fans that are unable to attend the race this Saturday in Daytona will gain an all-access pass through Self’s Facebook and Twitter page. Behind the scenes pictures and videos will be shared regularly through both platforms throughout the race weekend.
The all-access pass continues through Live timing and scoring presented by Self’s sponsor, Pirate Energy on the ARCA Racing Series’ website homepage. Keep up with practice and qualifying times and of course, with live race updates. Fans that want an up close look of the Daytona race can tune in to FOX Sports 1 at 4:00PM est to watch the race LIVE. Self will be one of a handful of drivers sporting an in-car camera and roof-cam. This will be a race that fans won’t want to miss!
For more updates and news out of the AWS Racing camp, please visit the AWS website as well as Facebook and Twitter pages:
@AustinWSelf