AM Racing has selected long-time ARCA Menards Series driver Gus Dean to pilot the No. 15 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway.
The organization made the official announcement on Monday, confirming that Dean would indeed reunite with AM Racing for Friday’s 250-mile contest, in what would serve as the 30-year-old’s Xfinity Series debut.
AirBox, the anchor partner of AM Racing’s sole NASCAR Xfinity Series entry in 2024, will once again serve as the primary sponsor for the entry in Friday’s second trip to Daytona Beach, Florida.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity to make my NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend at Daytona International Speedway,” said Dean. “This is definitely an opportunity for me, but I am focused on doing my job, going out there, and delivering the team and our partners a strong finish. I hope my experience at the superspeedways will pay off on Friday. I know that the AM Racing team will bring me a competitive No. 15 Ford Mustang, and it’s my job to deliver a result that the team can build off and hopefully open the door for more Xfinity Series opportunities in the future.”
Aside from his 70 starts in the ARCA Menards Series, contested across various organizations in eight seasons, Dean has also competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The Bluffton, South Carolina-native ran full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2019 for Young’s Motorsports, and since then, has also contested three events, all on superspeedway for Hill Motorsports.
Dean is a three-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series, the most recent of which came this February in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. while driving the No. 55 for Venturini Motorsports.
“AM Racing is excited to allow Gus to make his Xfinity Series debut,” said team owner Kevin Cywinski. “Not only is he a talented race car driver, but his experience and knack for superspeedway racing should allow AM Racing to contend for a strong finish. If circumstances work out, we hope for a chance at the win. Gus is very thoughtful about the expectations for the race, but we also know he’s not going to leave anything on the table and will represent all of our partners on the No. 15 Ford Mustang very well.”
This season, AM Racing has fielded a single entry in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the No. 15, which was occupied by Hailie Deegan for the opening 17 events of the season, before the driver and team parted ways. Since then, Joey Logano, Josh Berry, and Lawless Alan have all taken turns behind the wheel of the No. 15 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
Dean will be the second driver to debut in the No. 15 Ford Mustang Dark Horse this season, just one week after NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Lawless Alan did at Michigan International Speedway.
