Austin Wayne Self set for third Truck Series start at Tricky Triangle

LONG POND, Pa. – Carrying momentum from a strong performance in last week’s Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway, Niece Motorsports driver Austin Wayne Self (@AustinWSelf) heads to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend looking to finish what he started in Saturday afternoon’s Gander Outdoors 150.Last Wednesday night at Eldora, Self started 11th and contended for a top-five finish, but late in the race, the driver of the No. 22 GO TEXAN | AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet Silverado got spun, leaving little time to recover and an 18th place finish.While different circumstances this weekend at Pocono Raceway, Self believes his team can pickup where they left off and contend for a strong finish at the 2.5-mile triangle.“Eldora left us with mixed feelings,” said Self. “We had such a strong truck and contended for our best finish of the season – but we ran into issues late in the race and didn’t have that many laps left.“My Niece Motorsports team has been working hard to bring fast No. 22 GO TEXAN | AM Technical Solutions Chevrolets to the race track and despite our performance – a good finish was robbed from us. I’m determined to finish what we started at Pocono.”The Austin, Texas native has plenty of experience at the Long Pond race track. The 22-year-old has two Truck Series starts at the “Tricky Triangle” in addition to four starts in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards which offered two top-10 finishes.“Pocono is one of those places I just keep getting better with more laps,” added Self. “It’s a fun place – but it’s a track where you have to be on your game every lap. You have some recovery time if you make a mistake – but it’s a track you can lose a lot of time.“It’s almost like every lap is a qualifying lap. You have to hit your marks every lap.”With Saturday’s race only being 60 laps, Self says you must go at the drop of the green flag.“Sixty laps go by quick at Pocono, believe it or not,” sounded Self. “We have to play the strategy right. The stages will go by quick and depending on how the race is playing out – we might play our cards a little different to get some stage points – but more importantly, put ourselves in contention for a top-10 finish.“As we get into this summer stretch, it sure would be great to put a top-10 on the board for our team and our partners.”Posting his eighth top-18 finish or fifth top-15 finish in the last eight consecutive races, Self believes his team is on the cusp of a breakthrough where they’ll emerge from outside the teens and into the top-10, where they can become a threat as the heart of the Truck Series season surges forward.“I’m really proud of my Niece Motorsports team,” added Self. “Even though Eldora was a different format – we showed speed and I believe we’ll continue to show speed at Pocono this weekend and even at Michigan in a couple weeks.We’ve had to overcome some setbacks and some adversity over the last two months or so – but we’ve been diligently working to become a better race team and I think we are close.”After 13 races, Self sits 14th in the series’ standings. He carries an average finish of 17.4 entering Pocono.Like last year, the Texas Department of Agriculture’s GO TEXAN program and AM Technical Solutions will also support Self in his 54th 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 14th race of the year.In 53 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 Gander Outdoors 150 (60 laps | 150 miles) is the 14th of 23 races on the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck schedule. Practice begins on Fri., July 27 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:55 p.m., while final practice is set for 2:00 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Sat., July 28 beginning at 10:00 a.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 1:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).