Despite Darlington DNQ, Green ‘Going To Keep Building’

Austin Green in action at Darlington Raceway. (Jacob Seelman/Race Face Digital photo)

DARLINGTON, S.C. – For relative oval newcomer Austin Green, his debut visit to Darlington Raceway Saturday was both short-lived and a humbling experience.

Attempting his third NASCAR Xfinity Series start of the season for Jordan Anderson Racing, Green’s qualifying lap of 31.265 seconds (157.288 mph) around the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval wasn’t enough to crack the 38-car starting field with his No. 32 Overplay Chevrolet.

It was a tough moment for the 24-year-old, second-generation driver, who hoped to showcase new partner Overplay Games at the Track Too Tough to Tame. The brand joined Green and JAR at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway last month.

Saturday was just Green’s fourth attempt on an oval in Xfinity Series competition.

“Not what we wanted to happen, unfortunately,” noted Green, the son of 1994 Xfinity (then Busch) Series champion David Green. “This place is so tough … it’s a lot to learn in a short amount of practice time and we just missed what we needed there. We’re not going to let it get us down though … have to keep fighting.”

Overplay is a user-generated gaming platform that gives users the ability to create their own games from short videos and share them worldwide. Founded by media executives Dan Projansky and Caroline Strzalka, Overplay aims to democratize game development and make it accessible to everyone.

The platform has generated more than 1.3 million games played and 200,000 app downloads.

Despite the disappointment of Green failing to qualify Saturday morning, however, team co-owner Jordan Anderson – who still races part time in his own right – was quick to offer support for his young driver and reinforced the belief that there will be better days ahead for Green.

“Austin’s done a great job this year; if you’ve seen what he’s done (in racing at Circuit of the Americas and Las Vegas Motor Speedway), he’s been almost drinking from a firehose trying to learn as much as he can and get better,” Anderson told Motorsports Hotspot following time trials. “No matter if it’s a good day or a rough one like today, I don’t think we ever question why we do this … because we love it so much.

“This (No. 32) team has continued to grow leaps and bounds in the short time we’ve had it at the racetrack, and the way I look at it is that if you don’t show up, you don’t ever know what you need to grow and get to the threshold where you want to be at, right?” Anderson added. “I’m proud of everyone’s effort and Austin’s going to keep building, just like we’re going to keep building as a group.

“Days like this are just part of the process sometimes.”

Austin Green (Nigel Kinrade photo)

Anderson also spoke highly of Green’s work ethic and his grit to carve out a place for himself at the national level. In addition to select Xfinity Series races, Green also continues to race full time in the ultra-competitive Trans-Am TA2 division in sports cars.

“He’s got a lot of determination,” said Anderson of Green. “He’s very hungry and he wants to succeed really badly. He’s definitely got a raw talent in there too; we saw that in him and it’s something that made me want him in one of our race cars. At this level, it’s just a matter of getting experience and continuing to build a notebook so you learn what to do and what you need to get to the level of the guys running up front and contending for wins each week. That goes for the driver as well as the team.

“He’s a great kid, very clean cut, and he understands a lot of the aspects of the spots and has seen every different part of it through his family’s history in the garage,” Anderson continued. “I’m excited to see him keep growing and building his resume the more he gets experience. It’s the hardest thing, with the 25-minute practices, to come to a place like this for the first time and get the level of knowledge you need to be successful right off the bat.

“That’s why we’ll keep showing up and keep bringing him (along), and we’ll keep working on what we need and what he needs to be successful in this garage.”

Though Anderson couldn’t tip exactly when Green’s next start with his team may come, he did underscore a commitment to Green for the longer road – and to his No. 32 group as a whole, which races alongside full-time teammates Jeb Burton (No. 27) and Blaine Perkins (No. 31).

“We’re working to announce some more things as the season goes on, but my goal is to hopefully get to where it’s (moving) toward a full-time schedule next year,” tipped Anderson. “We’re looking to do (three full-time cars) as a potential goal in the future, for sure.”

As for Green, while Saturday was a speed bump, Anderson doesn’t believe it will be a deterrent to the young driver’s long-term aspirations on NASCAR’s national platform.

“He’s not about to give up,” Anderson affirmed. “Austin will learn from this and, I believe, rebound even stronger.”