Gus Dean Finishes Third at Myrtle Beach
19-Year-Old Hoped a Tire Stategy Would Pay Off in the Dean Custom Air 250
The grandstands at Myrtle Beach Speedway this Saturday night will be full of Gus Dean #MASHONIT t-shirts when the young South Carolinian returns home to compete in the Dean Custom Air 250 CARS X-1R Pro Cup Series event. From nearby Bluffton, South Carolina, Dean is prepared to battle at his home track for the first time in 2013 in front of many family and friends. Free tickets for Saturday's event can be found at many local businesses in and around the Myrtle Beach area and can be printed now from CARSProCup.com.
June 30
It was a big weekend for Gus Dean and his race team as they returned to CARS Pro Cup action.
They were racing at his home track at Myrtle Beach Speedway in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and his father’s company, Dean Custom Air, was sponsoring the event.
The homecoming was a successful one for Dean, who finished the event a solid third.
“It was a fun day with having many family, friends and customers at the track,” Dean said. “We came home with a solid third place finish, but we were near the leaders all night.”
With qualifying rained out, the field was set by the current CARS point standings. Dean started seventh.
“By lap five, we were running third,” Dean recalled. “Tyler Lester and Caleb Holman battled all night for the lead. I was pacing myself because I didn’t want to burn up my tires.”
At the halfway break, Dean drew a two to restart on the outside of the front row. He would fall back to third while Lester and Holman continued to battle up front.
“We were doing our best to save our tires thinking that we would have a late caution,” Dean said. “My crew chief, spotter and I were discussing if I should make a run to join the battle or wait for the late caution. We decided to wait and we never got the late caution, so the strategy we had didn’t pay off.”
Dean would finish third behind Lester, who won the race by a narrow margin over Holman.
“We came out with a new paint scheme that the fans loved, and came home with a podium finish. My crew did a great job of getting the car ready and it showed on Saturday night.”
Dean will be back behind the wheel in two weeks. On Friday, July 11th, he will be competing in the CARS Pro Cup Series event at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, North Carolina. The team will then head to Gresham Motorsport Park in Jefferson, Georgia for the Southern Super Series event on Saturday, July 12th.
