(Bill W) May 21, 2012 – Brian Brown took a last lap lead at Knoxville Raceway and went on to win his 20th career feature at the world famous half-mile oval Saturday night. The win gives him some momentum heading into a week that will see him competing five nights in a row starting on Wednesday in his hometown of Grain Valley, Missouri.
The Brian Brown Racing Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 timed in second quick in group qualifying on Saturday at Knoxville. “John (McCoy) as Race Director is trying to try some things,” says Brian of the group qualifying. “It doesn’t really matter to me. With that, as a racer, you get four laps of qualifying rather than one, which is nice. We were quickest in hot laps, and in qualifying, we probably didn’t lay down the best lap, but we were where we needed to be.”
Qualifying will be essential in the bigger shows at Knoxville. “Second isn’t the best place to be because of the invert,” says Brian. “If the track is good enough, you can get up through there. Being second is a good feeling with the Outlaw show and the Nationals coming up.”
Brian drove from sixth to third in his heat. “We had one of the tougher heats,” he says. “It was a good test session for us with (Mark) Dobmeier and (Terry) McCarl and some of the other guys in there. There were a few things we were able to try.”
Starting seventh, Brian worked his way forward in the feature. “We got a good start on the first try,” he says. “We went from seventh to third. The second one, our start wasn’t quite as good. We fell into fourth or fifth there. It seems like it takes our car a few laps to get going. Once we do, we’ve been pretty good.”
A battle at the front eventually fell to Davey Heskin, and Brian followed him in the runner-up spot. “We were able to get to second about six or eight laps in,” he says. “We ran Davey down a bit in traffic, but he was good. He was the fastest car there. He was running a good pace, and I was maybe overdriving a little trying to catch up.”
Ian Madsen entered the battle in the top three. “On one of the restarts, I got into the back of (Heskin) and it knocked my nose wing back,” Brian says. “That made it a little tougher to keep the nose turning. I made some mistakes and let Ian get by me and we had a good race until the yellow with two to go.”
The green, white, checker finish will be one to remember for some time. “At that point, I thought we’d be lucky to get third out of the deal,” says Brian. “Then Davey stopped, which gave us another lifeline. I wasn’t sure what Ian was going to do on the restart. He went down there and went through the center. I came around the top of one and two and then the bottom of three and four. Coming to the white flag, I was able to pull even in one and two, and then I missed on the exit. I got a good run down the backstretch and drove it through the center of three and four. I was able to come out with the win.”
It was Brian’s 20th win at Knoxville. “It’s always good to get a win, but to get one like that, makes it exciting,” he says. “Hopefully, the fans liked it. It will give them something to talk about this week, and hopefully, they’ll come back.”
Brian is quick to thank his team. “I’m proud of the whole team: Chad Morgan, Chad Ely, Mark, Snook, Scotty, my Grandpa, every single person on the team does a good job. It makes everything easier. We’ve been in the top three this year far more than the previous ones. We’re trying to pick up some wins at this point. We couldn’t do it without our partners either: Casey’s General Stores, FVP, Searsboro Telephone Company, Impact Signs Awnings and Wraps, Champion Brands, Ditzfeld Transfer, Maxim, Smiley’s, Weld Wheels, Housby Trucks.”
This week, will see Brian running in his hometown at the Valley Speedway with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Series on Wednesday, and at the I-80 Speedway near Greenwood, Nebraska on Thursday. Friday, the ASCS-Midwest series will be at the Junction Motor Speedway near McCool Junction, Nebraska. The final two shows will see 410 action with a return to the Knoxville Raceway Saturday, and a run with the MOWA series at 34 Raceway near West Burlington, Iowa on Sunday.
“We have a lot of work Monday and Tuesday,” says Brian. “I’m really looking forward to Grain Valley to race at home. Of course, I-80 may be my favorite track. We’ve had some success at McCool Junction, and we head back to Knoxville on Saturday. We’ll have Burlington on Sunday. We’re aiming for five top five finishes, and if we do that, maybe we can pick up some wins.”
Watch the Last Two Laps
Watch the exciting last two laps of action from Knoxville on Saturday!
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Web site info
For up to date information on Brian Brown Racing visit www.BrianBrownRacing.com
Casey's: www.caseys.com
FVP: www.fvpparts.com
Brian's Q&A
Nate Hill asks: What are the keys to success when you run several nights in a row?
Brian answers: I think the key is being prepared. We just need to be prepared. It may just be Chad and I, so we need to make sure that our tires and fuel are ready. If we have issues, we’ll be prepared. We’re running five nights with three different tire rules, and who knows about track conditions? So you need to be prepared, and we’re amped up to go on Wednesday.
Got a question for Brian? Send it to us at sprntcar@iowatelecom.net, and we may answer it in this section! Put "? for Brian" in your subject line.
Brown's Bits
Brian has seven career wins at the Junction Motor Speedway near McCool Junction, Nebraska. Last year, he posted two seconds and a fourth there. His last win there came on June 27, 2008. He bested Jack Dover, Lee Grosz, Jay Russell and Mike Chadd.
About Casey’s General Stores
Casey’s General Stores is a Fortune-500 company (NASDAQ CASY) operating nearly 1700 convenience stores in 11 states through the Midwest. Known for its “Homemade-To-Go” pizza, sandwiches, donuts and bakery items, Casey’s strives to consistently deliver quality gas, fresh kitchen-prepared food, clean environments and friendly service at every retail location. Casey’s is currently the 12th largest c-store chain and sixth largest pizza chain in the United States.
About FVP
We are very excited to introduce our new line of automotive chemicals, oils and fluids to our product offering. These new products will be available at many retailers across the country. We continue to offer a full line of high quality oil, air, cabin air and fuel filters, plus a complete line of high quality batteries for multiple applications including cars, trucks, SUV’s, commercial and other specialty vehicles. All products are made to OE manufacturer fitment specifications. FVP products are engineered to provide our customers with quality products that are equal or superior in performance to the major national brands at a competitive price. To learn more about our FVP products or to find out where you can have FVP products installed in your vehicle, visit us at www.FVPparts.com! FVP…The Confident Solution
SPLASH
In addition to our line of seasonal safety products, we are very excited to introduce a full line of SPLASH Wiper Blades. Our SafeView Performance Blades fit 95% of the vehicles on the road with quick and easy installation for everyone. The AccuVision Beam Blade offers memory curve steel, which provides uniform pressure for a clear wipe, without the streaks. Look for these great new SPLASH products! Whether it’s keeping your windshield clean or free of ice, protecting your RV, boat or pool from freezing in the winter, or your sidewalk safe to walk on, SPLASH Products are what you need! Check out our new SPLASH website at www.SPLASHWash.com! SPLASH…SEE SAFELY!
Marketing Partner of the Week – Searsboro Telephone Company’s www.FaxeMeService.Com
Brian says, “Don Long is an avid sprint car fan, and has been a part of the team for a few years now. We’re just really happy to have him here.”
Receive faxes through your e-mail when you’re away from the fax machine! Visit www.FaxMeService.com for easy sign-up options! It’s the simplicity of a fax through the convenience of e-mail. It’s easy to use, with no setup and a low fee!
Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – All Pro Cylinder Heads
All Pro Heads is the Industry Leader in Small Block Chevy Aluminum Cylinder Heads, (as well as the new Generation 3 and Mopar W9RP) ,catering to the hard core racer always looking for the perfect design for a specific application. Whether it's Sprints, Super Late Models, Drag Racing, Off-Road, Marine or Road Racing, you can count on All Pro. Visit them on the web at www.AllProHeads.com!
Brian Brown Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, FVP, Searsboro Telephone Company, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps / impact4800.com, Champion Brands, SPLASH, Ditzfeld Transfer, Maxim Racing, Smiley’s Racing Products, Weld Wheels, Housby Trucks, www.RateWin.com, Arctic Cat, K&N Filters, Hostiowa.net, FSR Race Products, TI64, Fuel-Safe Tanks, Awesome Racewear, Wolfe Eye Clinic, Bell Helmets, CP Pistons, Carrillo Rods, Engler Machine, Vortex Wings, Penray, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Butler Built Seats, AkzoNobel Sikkens, Jack Links, Rockstar, Deli Express, Snap-On Tools, Rod End Supply, KSE Racing Products, Winters Performance Products, Santomauro Racing Products, Cometic Gaskets, Kaeding Performance, Donovan, Magtech, ISC Racers Tape, Kinsler, Racing Optics, Don's Truck Wash, Gardner Farms, Hoosier Tires, GoPro, XYZ Machining, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Peterson Fluid System, Red Devil Brakes, Schoenfeld Headers, and WSIB Insurance for all their support!
- Admin Account on May 21, 2012
- Article Date: 5/21/2012 by Bill Wright