Austin Wayne Self Reinstated After Completing Road to Recovery

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Austin Wayne Self was reinstated by the sanctioning body Tuesday after completing NASCAR’s Road to Recovery Program, and will compete in Friday’s JEGS 200 at Dover International Speedway.

The driver of the No. 22 Chevrolet Silverado was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR April 1 after violating the substances abuse policy.

Self’s team, AM Racing, issued a statement following NASCAR’s announcement:

“We are excited to have Austin Wayne Self back and ready to go for Dover International Speedway on Friday afternoon. We look forward to a great race for all our fans and partners and the opportunity to also refocus on the rest of the NASCAR Grander Outdoors Truck Series season.”

Friday’s 200-lap race will mark his return to the series after Bubba Wallace ran the last two races at both Martinsville and Texas. As a result, Self is now 18th in the series standings after five races.

Self tweeted that he’s appreciated the amount of support he’s gotten and now shifting his focus on getting back on track this season as a Truck Series competitor.

https://twitter.com/AustinWSelf/status/1123259900115804160

In two Dover starts, Self’s results were polar opposites. His first start in 2016 only lasted 41 laps after an engine failure resulted in a last-place finish. However, his next race had a better outcome, scoring a respectable 15th-place result last May.