Austin Wayne Self carries momentum to Thunder Valley

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Fresh off his season-high 11^th-place finish this past weekend at Michigan International Speedway (MIS), Austin Wayne Self (@AustinWSelf) and his Niece Motorsports team ride the momentum of a strong performance and look to seal their first top-10 finish of 2018 in Thursday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway.Despite starting 20^th in the Irish Hills of Michigan, Self didn’t stay mid-pack for long. A balanced No. 22 GO TEXAN | AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet Silverado allowed the Austin, Texas native to climb through the field and fight for some time in the spotlight.While earning his seventh top-15 finish of the season in the Motor City, Self maneuvered his Niece Motorsports team in the spotlight with a top-five run at the conclusion of Stage 2.Heading to Bristol for his third Truck Series start at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile,” Self is ready for more of the same and to earn his fourth career top-10 finish.“I feel really good heading to Bristol,” said Self. “Over the last couple of weeks, I think everyone at the track has seen dramatic improvements from our Niece Motorsports team. And I don’t expect anything less this week at Bristol.“Sure, it’s a short track – but that should put us in a better position when push comes to shove on Thursday night. While it’s important for our GO TEXAN team to have speed, it’s not the crucial factor at Bristol. Instead, it’s just keeping yourself out of trouble and getting that ump you need out of the corners.”In his two prior starts in Thunder Valley, Self has negotiated a track-best of 21^st in his Bristol debut in 2016. This week – the 22-year-old driver believes his Arthur Haire-led team has the capabilities of producing more, much more.“I feel like we’ve circled Bristol as a prime opportunity for us to compete with some of the powerhouse teams in Trucks,” added Self. “You’ve seen it over the years – tracks like Bristol bring the opportunity to bring the fields closer together.“Our equipment is better than it was in February. It hasn’t come without a lot hard of work from Cody (Efaw, general manager), Artie (Haire, crew chief) and everyone on this No. 22 Niece Motorsports team.“We need to finish what we started at Michigan. We needed that race to be like five laps shorter and we would of had a top-10 finish.“We’ll try again.”The UNOH 200 will also mark the last race of the regular season. And while Self knows without a win – he won’t be participating in the post-season Playoffs, he also knows that it’s Bristol and sometimes you can expect the unexpected.“You’ve seen a lot of crazy things happen at Bristol. You just never know,” he added. “We’re going to go there and give it our all and just see what happens in 200 laps. Hopefully, it’s good.”After 15 races, Self sits 14th in the series’ standings. He carries an average finish of 17.0 entering Bristol.Like last year, the Texas Department of Agriculture’s GO TEXAN program and AM Technical Solutions will also support Self in his 56th career start.GO TEXAN represents Texas agri-business on state, national and international levels by building recognition with the GO TEXAN mark.Along with its signature mark in the shape of Texas, GO TEXAN celebrates, promotes and supports the business savvy and plainspoken grit Texas agriculture is known throughout the world.Don’t mess with Texas, CForce Bottling Company, Flying Circle and Kreuz Market will serve as associate partners in the 16th race of the year.In 56 NCWTS races, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series rookie of the year has one top-five (second at Daytona 2017) and three top-10 finishes. The Texan maintains an average finish of 18.5 during his three years of competition.For more on Austin Wayne Self, like his Facebook page (Austin Wayne Self) or follow him on Twitter @AustinWSelf.For additional information on CForce premium artesian water, please visit cforce.com.For more on Flying Circle, please visit flyingcirclegear.com, like them on Facebook (FlyingCircleGear) and follow them on Instagram (@flyingcirclegear) and Twitter (@flyingcircle_). Also connect with Flying Circle on Pinterest and YouTube.For more on Niece Motorsports, please visit niecemotorsports.com.The UNOH 200 (200 laps | 106.6 miles) is the 16^th of 23 races on the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck schedule. Practice begins on Thurs., Aug. 16 from 9:05 a.m. – 9:55 a.m., while final practice is set for 11:05 a.m. – 11:55 a.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day beginning at 4:10 p.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 8:30 p.m. with live coverage on FOX, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).