Austin Wayne Self propels to solid finish under Kansas Speedway lights

Competing in his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race since Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February, Austin Wayne Self piloted the No. 45 Niece Equipment / Precision Air Technology Chevrolet to a solid finish in Friday night’s Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway.

During practice on Thursday, Self and crew chief Cody Efaw spent the session getting accustomed to each other while continuing to work on the handling of their race truck in preparation for the fourth race of the 2017 season.

Picking up the pace considerably in qualifying, Self turned in the 21st quickest lap and immediately put his Niece Motorsports truck inside the top-20 during the early stages of the 167-lap race.

The team’s endless effort to keep up with their handling of their truck with the track’s changing conditions proved to be beneficial for Self as he hovered inside the top-20 for much of the race.

Making the most of the free pass on Friday night, Self found himself climbing inside the top-15 late and despite losing a lap to the leaders in the closing run, the 21-year-old was able to keep his competition at bay to finish 15th, a personal best at the 1.5-mile track in trucks.

“I’m really appreciative of the opportunity with Niece Motorsports,” said Self, a native of Austin, Tex. “We really had a good and productive race. We kept making adjustments on the truck and the changes allowed me to turn some really competitive laps to work our way forward. This is some good momentum for Niece Motorsports and myself heading to Charlotte.”

“I hope there may be another opportunity to work with Niece Motorsports down the road. I certainly enjoyed it. I want to thank Cody (Efaw) and everyone on the 45 crew and of course Niece Equipment and Precision Air Technology for the opportunity to race.”

Next up for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a stop at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for the running of the N.C. Education Lottery 200 on Friday night, May 19.

AWS PR