ANDERSON, Ind: Texas’s Logan Bearden will trade in his wrenches for a steering wheel this weekend as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie eyes a statement performance in Saturday’s 56th annual Greg Hubler Automotive Group Redbud 400 presented by Mitch Smith Auto Service and Perfecto at the famed Anderson (Ind.) Speedway.
Bearden who now calls Mooresville, N.C. home and is a full-time employee at AM Racing returns to the Super Late Model scene for the first time since early June when he produced a competitive fourth-place finish in the CRA Super Series event at Jennerstown (Pa.) Speedway.
Excited to get back behind the wheel of his Bearden Motorsports No. 66 Ford Mustang, Bearden hopes the staple Midwest Super Late Model event this weekend will allow him to continue to showcase his talent while delivering his team and supporters a satisfying finish.
“I’m looking forward to competing in the Red Bud 400 this weekend,” said Bearden. “Jennerstown was a great boost for my team and myself. We had a competitive race with a fast car but this weekend’s race is night and day compared to the race that awaits on Saturday night.
With a minimum of 22 cars entered for the race that includes Late Model standouts Casey Johnson, Jesse Love, Sammy Smith, Casey Roderick, Bubba Pollard and Steven Nasse – the 26-year-old believes he is more than ready to tango with the best of the best.
Bearden has also learned a lot throughout his Super Late Model career – including competing in events earlier this season at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway and Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville along with new leadership led by crew chief Marc Metz – Bearden is ready to put his experience to the test and win Saturday night’s highly anticipated race.
“I’m proud of my Bearden Motorsports team,” sounded Bearden. “We made some changes earlier in the year and I think Jennerstown was a step in the right direction and just the start of what I think we can accomplish together.
“I believe in my team and I know they have the confidence in me as a driver, we just need to keep the balance under our race car and stay out of trouble and I think we can find ourselves knocking on the door for that win on Saturday night.”
To help prepare himself for this weekend, Bearden participated in an open-test session at the historic quarter-mile short track on Thursday night allowing his Bearden Motorsports team to dial in his No. 66 Bearden Automotive | Parker Electric Ford Mustang for the 400-lap slugfest on Saturday night.
Following the Red Bud 400, Bearden will return to North Carolina and continue his leadership role as a lead mechanic for the Statesville, N.C.-based AM Racing team.
Behind the scenes, Bearden is working with his management team along with AM Racing to put him back in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series field this season with an expanded schedule in 2023.
“I’m very thankful for the opportunities that AM Racing has presented me,” added Bearden. “I am learning a lot about myself, as well as about the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team and I have a plan and I believe in that plan; we just have to stay focused and hope the future is what we all want it to be.”
The 56th annual Redbud 400 will be 400 laps counting yellows and will pay the winner $15,000.
The event will also feature cost savings-controlled cautions. When a yellow comes out teams will have three laps to service their race car without losing laps or positions on pit road. Those cars will then line up behind the cars that did not pit at that yellow.
Teams not getting out of the pits in the three laps will have to fall to the tail of the field and will risk losing laps.
A special autograph session, featuring the Redbud 400 starting field plus the ASA Reunion drivers will take place at 5:30 p.m. The 56th Annual Greg Hubler Automotive Group Redbud 400 presented by Mitch Smith Auto Service and Perfecto will take the green flag at 7:30 p.m.
Anderson Speedway is located at 1311 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Anderson, IN.
For more on Logan Bearden, please visit LoganBearden.com, like his Facebook page (Logan Bearden Racing) or follow him on Twitter @LoganBearden66.
