Dean Fights Power Steering Malfunction, Finishes 12th in Red-Eye 100
South Carolina Driver Optimistic for Remainder of 2015 SLM Season
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.
July 14
Gus Dean believed that he and his team had their ducks in a row heading into Saturday night’s Red-Eye 100 at New Smyrna Speedway (FL). After a successful day of practice on Friday, the Bluffton, South Carolina driver was confident that he had a car that could be in contention during the race. Unfortunately, an issue with the car’s power steering during the feature event didn’t allow Dean to contend for the win, but he was still able to break into the new racing season with a 12th-place finish.
“We were pretty much towards the top of the charts all day on Friday, but then on Saturday we started to slip back a little bit and struggled to figure out what had changed between Friday and Saturday,” said Dean. “It wasn’t until later in the race that I discovered that the power steering pump was starting to fail.
“It gave me a feeling from the seat that the car was a little tight from the center and free up off the corner. When the RPM’s would get low, the power steering pump would start to fade and then when I picked up the throttle it would cut back on pretty fast. At the end of the race, we were virtually running without power steering.”
What could Dean have accomplished without the power steering malfunction?
“If we wouldn’t have had the malfunction with the power steering, I definitely think we had a top-10 car and possibly a top-five,” he said.
During the 2015 season, Dean will be focusing primarily on his Super Late Model program and the newly formed CARS Super Late Model Tour. He looks at his team’s performance throughout the weekend (minus the power steering issue) as a reason to be optimistic heading into the new year.
“It’s just one of those things that happen in racing and as good as the car was before we had the problem, that’s what I really try to focus on and take away from this weekend,” said Dean. “I’m disappointed in the finish of the race because we go there to win, but the general performance of the car and the crew has me optimistic for the rest of the season.”
Dean will return to New Smyrna Speedway in February for one of his favorite events of each racing season, the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.
“I really enjoy Speedweeks,” Dean said. “It’s probably one of my favorite times of the year. I’m a race car driver and that’s nine nights of racing in a row. It’s definitely a lot of fun for me and the crew. It’s a time for us to go down there and come together even stronger. More so, I enjoy it because it’s a chance for me as a driver to get back in my rhythm after the offseason. It is nine nights with nine different races, so it really helps me as a driver prepare for the rest of the year.”
For more information on Gus Dean visit www.gusdean.com and follow him on Twitter at @GusDean.
