Self continues a southern short track race streak this weekend at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. This will be the third straight short track race Self will compete in since the race season began. The first race of this streak was the ARCA Mobile 200 in Mobile, AL where Self finished 4th moving him into the third place position in Championship points. Following Mobile Self returned to Texas for some Pro Late Model racing at his home track. This weekend Self will be a top competitor in the first ARCA race at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in over 20 years.
Self heads to the second Short Track Challenge race coming off of two top five finishes. The young driver is no stranger to short track racing and has proven to be one of the top short track drivers in the series. Many of Self’s top five finishes in his Rookie Championship season came at short tracks such as, Berlin Raceway, Lucas Oil Raceway and Salem Speedway. Not only did Self excel at these ARCA Racing Series short tracks but, he also gained short track seat time during the Pro Late Model races that were added to his 2014 season race schedule. Though the Nashville track is new to the driver, his experience will ensure that he will be a force to be reckoned with on Saturday.
Since the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway hasn’t seen an ARCA race in over 20 years, the track will be new for many drivers and ARCA fans. Here are some things Austin found during the test he had a few weeks back and some general facts about the track: Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in an eighteen degree banked oval track. The track converted to a half-mile paved oval in 1957 when it became a NASCAR series track. The track was later extended in 1969 and is currently 0.596-miles in distance.
“I really like the race track. It’s a race track that you have to search for the line a lot on. It’s really unique and reminds me a lot of the old short track in San Antonio that we used to race Pro Late Models at. The 98 AM Technical Solutions Ford was working really well at the test. It’s a new track for us but it’s also a new track for everyone else in ARCA. Might have to make a few adjustments here and there. I know Matt Weber and the 98 crew has worked really hard since Mobile to prepare for this race and I know we’ll have a great car to work with when we show up Saturday!” – Austin Wayne Self
Fans will have the chance to meet Austin during the on track autograph session from 5:15 – 5:45 pm CDT. Nashville will mark the final race with a Special Edition AWS Hero Card. The 98 AM Technical Solutions Ford Fusion will also be sporting some new graphics in honor of the troops. Fans are encouraged to stop by for pictures with Self and the 98 car, and to get a hold of the limited Special Edition Hero Cards during the autograph session.
The Troop Aid 200 begins at 8:00pm CDT and will be broadcast live on arcaracing.com via a new pay-per-view program. Live timing and scoring presented by Pirate Energy will also be available at arcaracing.com. Tune into Self’s Facebook and twitter for behind the scenes updates throughout the race weekend.
