Austin Wayne Self made an exceptional debut at Michigan International Speedway on June 12, 2014. In speeds excess of 184 MPH during practice, Austin Wayne Self flew to the top of the speed charts for his first time ever running at the 2 mile track. Cunningham Motorsports provided Austin Wayne Self with a sporty car that he said was, “Really fast, Michigan is a fast track and we had a great setup for race weekend.”
Moving into Friday Austin Wayne Self had high expectations, “I think we have a shot at the pole and making a run for it!”
The 22 AM Technical Solutions Dodge grabbed the 4th spot during qualifying and expectations rose even further for race day. The Cunningham Race Team developed a sound pit strategy and moved into the race carrying the Scott Rookie In Car Camera.
Within the first 5 laps Austin Wayne Self took a turn a little too high and made some light contact with the wall damaging the right front fender. The car damage caused Self to pit early in order to replace the right front tire and hammer out the fender, which was rubbing the tire and causing it to tear. After fixing the damage Self returned to the track near the back of the pack in the 26th position. Coincidently, Self actually likes to come from the back because he enjoys making passes during the race, which is exactly what he did.
Self moved up in the field and lead laps after several of the leaders took to the pit. The 22 team tried to plan a pit stop about halfway through but due to radio trouble the pilot of the 22 AMTS Dodge didn’t get the message until a lap later. The 22 car made it to pit road but coasted into the pit stall as it ran out of fuel. This caused the pit crew to give the car a long push start as the 22 team tried to get their car back onto the track. A stray tire lead to a penalty pass through and Self finally returned to the track to race.
Following lap 79 Austin Wayne Self had worked his way into the top 10 and rebounded from the early race setbacks. The late race rally increased Austin Wayne Self’s already impressive passing efficiency. Self explored how to make the high line work for the 22 and capitalized on inside speed. Pass after pass Self was bringing his A-game. At the conclusion of the race Austin Wayne Self scored a top 10 finish, and valuable seat time at NASCAR’s fastest track.
Self and the 22 AM Technical Solutions, Cunningham Motorsports team will return to the race scene at Elko speedway this weekend. Self will be participating in an ARCA fan event on Friday, June 20th where he will be signing autographs and handing out swag to fans. For more information visit Austin’s facebook page events or the ARCA website to buy tickets to the next race!
Follow the young driver for race updates, behind the scenes pictures and videos, and for chances to win prizes on his facebook or twitter page.