Austin Wayne Self Wins NASCAR Whelen All-American Late Model Race On 15th Birthday

Austin, March 9, 2011: Austin Wayne Self gave fans at Thunderhill Raceway a great show on a windy Saturday night that also was his 15th birthday. After having practiced a total of less than 75 laps, Austin nearly recorded an upset, and finished in 2nd place in his first ever NASCAR Modified race, finishing behind only his teammate and 2010 Pro Modified champion Michael Umscheid.

Austin Wayne Self Wins NASCAR Whelen All-American Late Model Race on 15th Birthday

Exactly 32 minutes after leaving the track from his Modified race, Austin hustled over to #07 Late Model where he finished in 1st place, just ahead of the 2010 TSRS Late Model champion Bobby Teer, Jr.

“It’s a great birthday present to win the season opener and do so well with the Modified,” Self said to those gathered around. “But you can’t win anything without a great team and lots of support from lots of people. I feel very fortunate to have so many great people believe in me.”

Austin’s driving coach Chris Baker adds, “His transition to the Modified has been absolutely brilliant. He gave us all a birthday present. It was a wonderful experience, and I hope the momentum just keeps going from here.”