Indianapolis Raceway Park Preview
Aug. 11 | 9:00pm ET | FS1 – MRN – SiriusXM
Indianapolis Raceway Park Stats
- Daniel Dye will make his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at IRP on Friday night.
- ARCA Starts: 1; Best start: 6th; Best finish: 4th (2022); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 1
About Bettenhausen Automotive: Bettenhausen Automotive, a family-owned dealership with over 60 years of commitment to Chicagoland, is known for its welcoming and hassle-free environment. Their non-commissioned staff has helped them become the “One Price” Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram FIAT dealership since 1992, emphasizing a unique service level. After completing a significant renovation in spring 2017, they now offer a state-of-the-art showroom, offices, and car service center with more space and five additional service bays. These improvements reflect their mission to provide the most customer-friendly dealership experience in the area. Visit www.BettenhausenAuto.com to explore their latest deals and services.
Gary Bettenhausen Tribute: Daniel will make local Indiana race fans proud by paying homage to legendary USAC competitor, Gary Bettenhausen, with a paint scheme that resembles his 1983 championship-winning Silver Crown car. The legendary driver was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993 as well as the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998. Dye will host several members of the Bettenhausen family, who currently own and operate the Chicagoland-based automotive dealership, as honorary guests of the team.
Chassis History/Info: Dye and the No. 43 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 335 at IRP, the same truck that just raced last time out. Used primarily as a short track truck, Dye has raced this chassis at Martinsville Speedway (31st due to a late-race spin), North Wilkesboro Speedway (14th), and Richmond Raceway (21st). This chassis has yet to compete at Indy during its tenure with the organization since the truck was built in 2021.
Bainbridge at IRP: Blake Bainbridge has two starts as a Crew Chief at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. His first start came in the 2005 NASCAR Xfinity Series race where he worked alongside Mike Wallace, who finished 10th in that race. Fifteen years later in 2020, Bainbridge called the shots for Taylor Gray in the ARCA Menards Series, who had a strong run finishing in the fourth position.
Richmond Recap: Though the finishing result wasn’t quite what Dye had been looking for in the previous race at Richmond Raceway, he was able to run a smooth race and bring home the No. 43 Chevy clean, a tough feat at a short track. Daniel qualified in the 18th position and ran inside the top-20 for a long period in the race before he endured a drive-through penalty on the final pit stop of the night. Since the penalty came under green, he lost a lot of ground, but was able to finish in the 21st position.
ARCA Short Track Record: IRP was a track that Dye ran well at last season driving for GMS Racing in the ARCA Menards Series. In his one prior start at this track, he started sixth and finished fourth. Dye typically excelled at short tracks during his ARCA tenure, winning at Berlin in 2021, and posting six top-fives and eight top-10 finishes in 12 total starts at tracks under a mile in length.
From the Driver’s Seat: Does having a strong finish at this track last year give you an extra boost of confidence heading back to IRP?
“We were pretty fast last year at IRP in the ARCA race. The GMS guys brought us a really fast car, but it was a tricky place to figure out. As the race went on, I figured out how to pass other drivers as we had to kind of come up through the field from where we started. So I’m looking forward to getting back there knowing what I know now. It’s going to be cool to go there with Bettenhausen Automotive and have them on our truck with that cool sprint car throwback paint scheme. Hopefully we can have a good run; the trucks are a bit different than the ARCA cars, so they’ll probably turn a little bit better than how we were last year. Just got to be ready for that and make sure we can finish it off with a good result. Our speed has been building over the last couple of months, but we have to make sure that we can put it all together and finish the race where we run. It’s all going to be about building on it little by little, and continuing to improve on how we unload.”
About Race to Stop Suicide
Race to Stop Suicide, a non-profit organization co-founded by Daniel and Randy Dye, is passionately dedicated to creating awareness, removing stigma, and normalizing the conversation surrounding suicide. By providing entry-level education on identifying symptoms and knowing how to check up on loved ones, they aim to empower individuals to make a difference. The organization also ensures that people have convenient access to crucial resources such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and 988. To learn more about Race to Stop Suicide and join their vital cause, please visit their website at www.racetostopsuicide.com.
