Dylan Lupton is our guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, March 16, 2015 at 9:30 pm ET.  During the LIVE broadcast call 714-202-9918 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments. 

As debuts go, place a check in the success column when grading Athenian Motorsports’ driver Dylan Lupton’s first outing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Axalta Faster Tougher Brighter 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.

The 21-year-old standout in the NASCAR K&N West Series admitted to being somewhat nervous on Friday afternoon at Phoenix when he realized he was about to experience a life-long dream by racing on the same track with the likes of Daytona 500 champions Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick. 

But any signs of butterflies quickly disappeared as Lupton, a California native, got the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet up to speed by posting the 14^th-fastest lap during the day’s second practice session on Friday.

On Saturday morning, Lupton advanced to the second round of Xfinity Series qualifying and managed to lockdown the 23^rd starting spot for that afternoon’s 200 lap race on the one-mile oval located 15 miles west of downtown Phoenix.

Heeding the advice and wisdom of veteran crew chief Mike Ford on the pit box and former NASCAR driver Terry Cook from the spotters’ stand, Lupton drove a smart race and posted a respectable 19^th-place finish, just one lap off the blistering pace set by race-winner Logano.

“You drove a hell of a race,” Ford radioed to Lupton as the checkered flag waved Saturday afternoon.

Lupton, a NASCAR Next driver, will return to the seat of the No. 25 Zaxby’s Xfinity Series Chevrolet in Richmond, Va. next month. As previously scheduled, John Wes Townley will be behind the wheel of the No. 25 at Fontana next weekend.

Saturday’s Xfinity Series race in Fontana, Calif. will go green shortly after 4 p.m. ET and will air live on Fox Sports 1.