Austin, Texas – May 22, 2011 – Saturday night at the races, Austin Wayne Self got to do his favorite thing in front of a rowdy Texas crowd; come from the back and win. Not once but twice. 15-year-old Austin Wayne Self claimed a piece of NASCAR history when he took the checkered flag in both the Pro Modified and Late Model Divisions at Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Texas.
“The past four races have been very frustrating for our team and fans, and it feels so good to finally get that next big win and it’s almost unreal to think we just pulled off a double. My crew, family and fans deserve this win more than anything. The guys always work their butts off, to give me great cars, we qualify pole, lead a bunch of laps, our fans get excited and then we get taken out on a restart. That kind of thing just kills us all. But this week, by the grace of God, we came up big, really big. You can’t imagine how cool it feels to deliver a huge night for my fans, family and team,” says Self.
NASCAR recently lowered the age limit for drivers in the Whelen All-American Series to fifteen. Austin’s fifteenth birthday was on March 5, which was opening day for the racing series. As a result of that change, Austin joined the Pro Modified class and earned his first win on May 21. By winning both the Pro Modified and Late Model class, Self becomes the first 15-year-old NASCAR driver to win two premiere Divisions on the same night.