Officials from AM Racing confirmed today that ARCA Menards Series veteran Gus Dean will drive the team’s No. 15 Ford Mustang in Friday night’s Wawa 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on August 23, 2024.
Dean, who also has experience competing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, returns to the “World Center of Racing” for the first time since clinching an emotional victory in February’s ARCA Menards Series season-opener to claim Venturini Motorsports’ 100th career ARCA victory.
The Bluffton, S.C. native will reunite with AM Racing for the first time since the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season, when Dean frequently piloted the No. 32 ARCA Menards Series entry at a variety of tracks, including Daytona International Speedway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, respectively.
Dean, who turned 30 on August 19th, competed full-time for AM Racing during the 2017 and 2018 ARCA Menards Series seasons, which included scoring a popular win at Elko (Minn.) Speedway in 2018, the hometown track of AM Racing owner Kevin Cywinski.
Together again, Dean, a three-time ARCA Menards Series winner, hopes to deliver in the team’s second summer event at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity to make my NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend at Daytona International Speedway,” said Dean. “This is definitely an opportunity for me, but I am focused on doing my job, going out there, and delivering the team and our partners a strong finish.
“I hope my experience at the superspeedways will pay off on Friday. I know that the AM Racing team will bring me a competitive No. 15 Ford Mustang, and it’s my job to deliver a result that the team can build off and hopefully open the door for more Xfinity Series opportunities in the future.”
AirBox will return as the primary marketing partner on the team’s No. 15 Ford Mustang for Friday night’s 100-lap race.
In 2017, AirBox was established to focus on building the world’s best air purifiers for indoor occupied spaces. This coincided with people starting to wake up to issues with indoor air quality. With new challenges to air cleanliness, such as COVID-19 and wildfire smoke, people are looking for effective and proven solutions to ensure they receive cleaner air, at last.
“AM Racing is excited to allow Gus to make his Xfinity Series debut,” said team owner Kevin Cywinski. “Not only is he a talented race car driver, but his experience and knack for superspeedway racing should allow AM Racing to contend for a strong finish. If circumstances work out, we hope for a chance at the win.
“Gus is very thoughtful about the expectations for the race, but we also know he’s not going to leave anything on the table and will represent all of our partners on the No. 15 Ford Mustang very well.”
For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing), or follow them on Instagram and X | Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.
For more on Gus Dean, please visit GusDean.com, like him on Facebook (Gus Dean Racing) and follow him on Instagram and Twitter (@GusDean).
The Wawa 250 (100 laps | 250 miles)) is the 22nd of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2024 schedule. Qualifying is set for Friday, August 23rd, 2024, beginning at 3:00 p.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag later that, shortly after 7:30 p.m., with live coverage on the USA Network, the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (Eastern).
