TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 12, 2011) – – After dabbling in the USARacing Pro Cup Series over the course of the last two months, Stuart, Florida native Bryan Silas will return to his normal surroundings this week when the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards makes their annual stop at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for the running of the 3 Amigos 250.
There will be something incredibly different about Silas’s sixth start at the 2.66-mile superspeedway when the green flag flies on Friday afternoon. He won’t be driving the familiar No. 11 Ford Fusion for Fast Track Racing. Earlier this week, Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) and Bryan Silas Racing (BSR) jointly announced that the 23-year ARCA pro will drive the No. 98 Vietnam Veterans of America / Rockingham Speedway Toyota Camry in the second of 19 ARCA events this season.
“I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to drive for Eddie Sharp Racing this weekend,” said Silas, who is gunning for his first career ARCA victory. “I also have to graciously thank Andy (Hillenburg), my mentor and owner of Fast Track Racing for being so encouraging and helping me with this event. Even though I won’t be in his car; he’s been so accommodating and willing to do anything he can to help with the transition.”
While Silas has enjoyed 88 career starts with the 1995 ARCA champion, the opportunity to drive for Denver, North Carolina-based ESR team quite possibly could be a switch that is talked about for a long time to come.
An enthusiastic Silas continued, “without any question, I think we’ll have a shot at running up front and finding ourselves in contention for the win in the No. 98 Vietnam Veterans of America / Rockingham Speedway Toyota Camry. I’m looking forward to getting to Talladega and working with the ESR team. I’m anxious to experience the Toyota buzz for myself; not to mention drive for another organization that has won an ARCA championship.”
No matter what the outcome on Friday afternoon, Silas’s busy week won’t stop there as he plans to make the trek to Dillon, South Carolina for the third race of the season in the USARacing Pro Cup Series. After two outings which include one top-five and two top-10s, Silas finds himself fourth in points just 29 markers behind leader Brad Rogers.
“It will be a busy weekend for sure,” sounded Silas. “I’ve enjoyed running in the USARacing Pro Cup Series this season. We are having a lot of fun and I hope to keep our momentum growing over there at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
Entering Talladega, Silas has 92 career ARCA Racing Series starts to his credit with a career best finish of fourth at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway in 2009. He also holds 27 top-10 finishes to his credit. In his previous five Talladega contests, Silas has a best start of 16th (2006) and scored a top-finish of 12th in 2009.
The 3 Amigos 250 (94 laps / 250 miles) is the second of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 49th ever ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Thursday, April 14 with a three hour practice session planned from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:05 p.m. Coverage of time trials is available online through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at http://www.arcaracing.com/ arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. A 45-minute final practice has been etched in on Friday, April 15 from 10:00 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. The event will take the green flag that afternoon shortly after 4:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional live broadcasting available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at http://www.arcaracing.com/ arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. All times are local (Central).
For more on Bryan Silas please visit, BryanSilasRacing.com .
