SALEM IN (9-11-08) - With a wave of momentum and a career-best finish of sixth Saturday at Chicagoland, ARCA RE/MAX Series veteran Bryan Silas is so ready to steer for one of his favorite tracks on tour - the rough and tumble Salem Speedway short track for this Saturday's Eddie Gilstrap Motors 200 by Advance Auto Parts.
Silas's recent success has rejuvenated the Stuart, Florida driver just in time for one of the series' most challenging venues - a rough, abrasive, bumpy, patchy, wicked-quick, quirky, high-banked, half-mile oval nestled against the scenic rolling hills of Southern, Indiana - AKA - Salem. It's also where Silas had another career run back in the spring when he finished eighth at Salem.
"It's Salem; what could be better?" asked the 21-year-old rising star. "We haven't really qualified well at Salem in the past, but we have minded our "p's" and "q's", and have come away with some very respectable finishes. Anytime you can roll your car back in the hauler after the race at Salem is a good day there."
Silas has certainly minded his "p's and q's" well enough to manage two top-10 runs at Salem in his last four attempts there, which, as most folks know, is not easily done, not at Salem anyway.
"We're going to try and make it three for three. This time we're looking for a little more. We were sixth at Chicagoland, and my goal is to finish even better at Salem this weekend."
Silas also knows that his momentum could disappear as quickly as it came - especially when you're talking about Salem where being in the wrong place at the right time can happen to anyone, regardless of how fast you are. 
"Some drivers are terrified of Salem," Silas added. "I'll admit, it's a fast place for being so small but you have to live on the edge there. If you aren't hugging yourself up to the wall in turns three and four, you aren't pushing it enough.
"You can't always control the bad things that sometimes happen at Salem; that's just the nature of the beast. Fortunately, for the most part, we've been able to overcome the odds and put ourselves near the front. We'll try and continue that Saturday night."
With his impressive runs lately, Silas has also climbed the ARCA RE/MAX Series point's ladder, currently holding down the 11th position just 15 markers ahead of 12th place competitor Dexter Bean.
"We've worked extremely hard to move up in the standings and we're a little closer to 10th. We still have some work to do and there's pressure ahead and pressure behind, so it's not going to be easy, but we're not going down without a fight. The goal is to keep our points position intact leaving Salem Saturday night.
Veteran crew chief and former ARCA RE/MAX Series driver Jeff McClure will be crew chiefing for Silas at Salem. Nortrax, Shell Rotella T, Holland Pump, Oasis, Palm Beach Grading (PBG) and Rockingham Speedway will all sponsor the No. 11 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the 18th event on the 2008 ARCA calendar.
"I think that Salem is one of the best races of the year, yet it doesn't get any live television coverage. It doesn't make any sense to me. I can tell you this though; it will be a great show for the fans. The stands are always filled and I expect to see the same on Saturday night."
Entering Salem, Silas has 46 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his credit with a career best finish of sixth at Chicagoland Speedway (September 2008) with additional top-10 runs of eighth at Kentucky Speedway (May 2008), Iowa Speedway (April 2008), Salem Speedway (April 2007 and April 2008) and Kentucky Speedway (July 2007) and a 10th at USA International Speedway (March 2007) and DuQuoin State Fairgrounds (September 2008). His best short track qualifying run is seventh at Berlin Raceway (July 2007). A fourth place qualifying effort at Pocono Raceway (June 2007) is Silas's career-best superspeedway qualifying run to date.
The Eddie Gilstrap Motors 200 by Advance Auto Parts (110 miles/200 laps) is the 18th of 21 events on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The second ARCA race of the season at Salem Speedway is a one-day show. Practice begins Saturday September 13 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 1:05 p.m.- 2:35 p.m. ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. The field will take the green flag shortly after 7:15 p.m. The event will be tape-delayed on MavTV (Friday, September 19 at 8:00 p.m.) but additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio courtesy of the ARCA Radio Network will be available online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.
For more on Bryan Silas please visit, BryanSilasRacing.com
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