BLUFFTON, South Carolina (June 2, 2011) – – Quietly Gus Dean has been making a name for himself in 2011. Competing in a mixture of Late Models and the Pro All Star Series (PASS) has seen the Bluffton, South Carolina native show maturity and patience while learning the ropes of some of America’s stoutest short track competition.
In addition to the wealth of knowledge he is digesting in the race car, Dean has also been hitting the books hard back at home which included not long ago taking the Scholastic Assessment Test, otherwise known as the SAT.
While the PASS South Series was taming South Boston (Va.) Speedway, Dean elected to stay focused on his academics. The hard work paid off when Dean received a whopping score of 1587.
With a welcome boost, Dean participated in the most recent PASS event at the Motor Mile (Va.) Speedway this past Saturday night. Guidance and coaching from USARacing Pro Cup Series driver A.J. Frank allowed the youngster to continue to shine during the event which resulted in a lead lap 10th place finish.
Itching for more, the Gus Dean Racing team will head to Orange County (NC.) Speedway (OCS) this weekend for the running of the Orange Blossom Special 125 in his familiar No. 56 Whirlpool Cooling and HeatingChevrolet Impala.
To the 16-year old’s advantage he has plenty of experience at the North Carolina bullring. The tight and treacherous short track is the site of Dean’s first of two wins in the Allison Legacy Series. Now, Dean is hoping to rekindle the magic of those nights with a Late Model win on Saturday, June 4.
“It’s been a good couple weeks,” said Dean. “It’s always hard to give up what you love to do (racing) to hit the books but when I opened the envelope and saw the SAT score I knew I made the right decision. That push carried over to the race at The Motor Mile and I know we can definitely continue our momentum at Orange County.”
The former American Kart Racing Association’s Junior II National Points Series champion continued, “A.J. (Frank) and the boys really don’t receive enough credit. They are the ones that help make this No. 56 Whirlpool Cooling and HeatingChevrolet Impala a rocket ship when the green flag drops. I’m just the lucky one that is able to drive. I know the entire team with our past success at OCS feels that we have a good of a chance as anyone Saturday night to take our No. 56 Whirlpool Cooling and HeatingChevrolet Impala to victory lane.”
Frank has been equally impressed with his pupil’s performance.
“I can’t say enough about Gus,” boasted Frank. “It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with him. He really is adapting to these heavier cars well. With each race Gus learns something new which shows with his performance on the track. Everyone is eager for Orange County this weekend and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Saturday night other than in victory lane.”
In addition to PASS South Series competition, Dean and Co. will run in the Late Model (LM) and other Super Late Model (SLM) events across the Southeast all year long.
For more on Gus Dean, please visit GusDean.com.
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