Tuesday

Bryan Silas Conquers The Rock; Electrifies Crowd With First Victory

Filed under ARCA, Other Series, Press Releases, Truck Series

“First National Touring Series Triumph Finally Sinking In For Popular Driver”

ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (November 8, 2011) – - It wasn’t a matter of if, but when. Finally, all the ingredients came together for Stuart, Florida native Bryan Silas as he stormed to his first career CARS Pro Cup Series (formally known as the USARacing Pro Cup Series) victory Saturday afternoon at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway.

In racing, it’s often said that winning isn’t easy. For Silas and his T3R team, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. The weekend started off on a soggy note as persistent rain showers eventually forced the cancellation of all track activity on Friday.

With Friday washed out, Saturday would be a full deck. From the moment that the ARCA Racing Series veteran hit the pavement – it was evident that he was to be considered a factor.

In his sixth start of the season and fifth CARS start at the historic one-mile oval, Silas, in his No. 11 Richmond County Hospice / Rockingham Speedway Ford Fusion, qualified on the outside pole, a career-best for the rising star, driving the same car he made his debut in for this series five years ago.

When the green flag was thrown the battle was on. Driver strategy and tire conversation would ultimately play out to be a deciding factor in the overall outcome of the final race of the season. While Silas remained hovering solidly inside the top-five, the team led by crew chief Cal Boprey elected to make a gutsy call approaching lap 80.

While the leaders took tires and fuel, Boprey elected to keep his driver on the same tires he started the event on, sending Silas’s blue oval back out onto the race course with a fuel-only pit stop.

Hoping for a caution shortly after racing resumed, the team knew that having fresh rubber would be pivotal towards a strong finish. However, the plan nearly backfired on them as the racing turned into a long green flag run which allowed leader Jeff Agnew to strike within 1,000 feet of putting the Floridian a lap down before the yellow flag waived – yielding an immediate sense of relief from both the driver and team.

There wasn’t any time to rejoice though – as the T3R crew had to quickly prepare for their pilot to bring his Ford Fusion down pit road for some much needed tires and a full tank of gas to enable Silas to throttle hard to the end.

Restarting in 10th, Silas’s lap times were nearly two seconds quicker than the leaders and as the race came to a close, the eyes of the spotters and fans were glued on the No. 11 Richmond County Hospice / Rockingham Speedway Ford Fusion as he sliced and diced his way through the pack before finding himself on the back bumper of leader Agnew.

Without any resistance from the eventual champion, Silas was able to burst into the top-spot for the final 15 laps where he captured his first ever checkered flag in a National Touring Series.

“I don’t know what to say,” said Silas, whose entire family including his mom and dad, wife Misty and son Landon were in attendance to witness the spectacle. “I was a little worried there when we were on the older tires that we weren’t going to get the caution we needed. It was really close, I thought we were done. Then, it came and we were back in the race. Once again tires proved to be critical to success at “The Rock.”

He added, “This win is extra special to me, since my mentor Andy (Hillenburg), who is the president and promoter of Rockingham Speedway, was there. We couldn’t believe we were standing in victory lane. It felt great! I want to thank my team, my family and all those who have supported me and my racing career throughout the years. This win is for them.”

Silas’s first career triumph occurred in his 26th career CARS Pro Cup Series start. In six races this season, he recorded one win, three top-fives and five top-10 finishes.

While a 2012 racing schedule hasn’t been finalized for Bryan Silas, he made it crystal clear exiting “The Rock” that he will be back for more CARS Pro Cup Series competition next year.

“This series is such a blast to compete in,” Silas sounded. “It really is a stepping stone for someone moving up from a lower division of racing. The competition often resembles that of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) which proves to be a great stomping ground for any driver wishing to make that climb up to the big leagues. Whatever develops for next year, we’re going to make sure we come back and race in CARS, because the series means that much to me.”

The T3R team will now shift their concentration back to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) where Silas will return to the No. 09 Ford F-150 for the running of the Ford 200, the 25th and final race of their season at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on Friday, November 18. Silas has made five starts already this year, most recently at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in October.

For more on Bryan Silas please visit, BryanSilasRacing.com.

- T3R Press Release