NEW SYMRNA BEACH, Florida (March 21, 2011) – – Stuart, Florida native Bryan Silas wowed the crowd in the USARacing Pro Cup Series season-opener at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway last Saturday night after he drove his Bryan Silas Racing (BSR) machine to a stout fifth place finish in the USARacing Pro Cup 250 presented by Kangaroo Express.
The finish was a career-best effort for the 23-year old in 21 career USAR starts. Before Saturday night’s contest, Silas’s best finish came in his USARacing Pro Cup Series debut in 2009 at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway where he placed his No. 11 Rockingham Speedway / Palm Beach Grading Ford Fusion eighth after starting 23rd.
“We kind of flew under the radar this past weekend,” said Silas. “We didn’t make a big deal about coming out here because we wanted to show up and just race. Dave (McClure, crew chief) did a fabulous job all day long. The car was really solid and I had a great time.”
It was not even during the intense 250-lap event that losing a lap on pit road during a caution would stall Silas’s drive. His determination to cautiously thread the needle and tackle an extremely tight handling Ford Fusion would pay dividends. Obtaining the lucky dog during a late race caution allowed the prime opportunity for Silas to strut his stuff. He would surge his blue oval from the back of the pack and masterfully deliver his first USAR top-five.
“The adrenaline can get you going,” Silas said. “We had a mishap in the pits. It’s just one of those racing things. I knew that even though our car was tight we still had something we could race with. Thankfully, everything played out and we were able to show what our BSR team is really capable of.”
New Smyrna also marked the return of Bryan Silas Racing (BSR) led by his ARCA crew chief Dave McClure. “It was a total team effort,” he said. “Dave and the rest of the team wanted to run good right out of the box to show that our foundation is solid. The finish wasn’t easy, but results don’t come without hard work.”
Undoubtedly, the finish also rejuvenates the driver’s confidence just about in time for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards to resume their schedule with an approaching event at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 15.
“Anytime you run good, it makes you feel good,” Silas admitted. “The USARacing Pro Cup Series is full of some of short track racing’s finest. We’ll take this momentum from New Smyrna; see what’s next on our plate in USAR while we focus ahead on Talladega in ARCA.”
For more on Bryan Silas please visit, BryanSilasRacing.com .
