BROOKLYN, Michigan (August 20, 2012) – – Hard work and a little bit of luck paid off in a big way for Bryan Silas and his T3R Racing team as together they achieved their career-best finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) this past Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway in the running of the VFW 200.
Suffering a heartbreak after losing their primary No. 99 Rockingham Speedway Ford F-150 in the final minutes of the first practice session on Friday morning, the Cal Boprey-led team was able to get their backup truck on the track in time for final practice later in the day.
A few adjustments by the team on Saturday morning allowed Stuart, Florida native Bryan Silas to qualify a respectable 23rd for the first NCWTS race on the newly repaved two-mile oval.
During the race Silas played it safe but stayed competitive. An array of early race cautions allowed Boprey the opportunity to keep the No. 99 Rockingham Speedway Ford F-150 full of fuel. Remaining in a conservative mode, Silas remained tagged onto the rear of the lead-lap pack and Boprey’s strategy of keeping the gas tank full would prove to be pivotal in the closing stages of the race.
With the field forced to make green flag pit stops, T3R had other plans. Close on fuel, but with nothing to lose Boprey decided to gamble and leave his driver on the track. The call paid off as Silas’s Ford went the distance and leaped from 20th to finishing 14th on the lead lap over the course of the final 15 laps of the VFW 200 to offer the 25-year old his career best finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“This is a small victory for our little team,” said Silas. “Together, we’ve made some steady improvements with this race team over the course of the last month and I think this finish is a reward for that. It was nice to have luck on our side and we were one of a handful of trucks that were able to make it during that long green flag run. I’m really proud of the team. We’ll just keep digging and hope we’re able to put more finishes like this together the rest of the year.”
Next up for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a stop in “Thunder Valley” for the running of the Volunteer 200 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway set to launch on Wednesday, August 22. The 13th race of the season will be aired live on SPEED beginning at 8:00 p.m.
For more on Bryan Silas please visit, BryanSilasRacing.com.
