(Bill W) July 30, 2012 – A heavy bullring hasn’t always suited Brian Brown’s style, but he got a big win last Friday night at the Mary Lee Standridge Memorial held at the Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, Illinois. The win paid the Grain Valley, Missouri driver $3,000 and he followed that up with a pair of second place finishes at Knoxville Raceway where he will return for this week’s 360 Nationals.
Brian went from fifth to third in the heat at Jacksonville. “With the passing points format, you just have to go for it in the heats,” he says. “The track was pretty rough at that point. We were definitely happy to put ourselves in position by getting in the Dash.”
The Dash saw a back-up to fourth from a starting spot outside row one. “We tightened our car up, thinking the track was going to slick off more than it did,” says Brian. “We wanted to see how far we could go, and we went too far and we ended up running fourth.”
Starting outside row two, the main event had a rocky start. “We went back to the drawing board,” says Brian. “The first couple laps of the A, we were content to run the bottom. Off turn two on the second lap, we got together with Jimmy (Bridgeman). Coming up off the bottom, you don’t have any mirrors, and I felt someone get into my right rear tire. You always hate to be a part of something like that.”
The restart saw Brian move into second and eventually chase down Danny Smith for the win. “We were able to get going on the green, and slid by Robbie (Standridge) for second,” he says. “At that point, we were chasing Danny down. The closer we got to him, the tighter we got. I kept plugging away and trying to get my timing down. We were able to get a good run (lap 20) and sneak by and get a win.”
Brian was proud to win such a prestigious event. “I was probably happier to win there, than I had been at Knoxville the week before,” he says. “We had been good there before, we just haven’t had the finishes. Going forward, knowing we’ve won on a bullring is a good sign of where our team is. To win the Mary Lee Standridge Memorial was really special. She meant so much to racing in central Illinois. That was a huge accomplishment for us.”
Brian competed in both the 410 class and 360 class at Knoxville on Saturday. He would set quick time with a stout 410 class. “It’s always good to qualify well,” he says. “That’s due to our Charlie Garrett engine. I feel like we have the best engine builder in the country to go with our Maxim chassis. It takes all that to set quick time.”
He would finish sixth in his heat, but caught a break when a competitor was DQed. Otherwise, he would have gone to the B! “It seemed like wherever I went, (Terry) McCarl was there,” says Brian. “His car was wider than ours. He did a good job to hold us off there. That put us in the B until we learned (Kyle) Larson had a problem at the scales. He is my buddy and may get an extra Christmas present from us this year.”
Brian started outside row three in the 20-lap feature. “We were able to get to third pretty quickly, and then get by Bronson (Maeschen),” he says. “We started chasing down Terry. I thought we were as good or better. We got to traffic and I thought we had something before the yellow came out. Our motor just wasn’t taking off the way it needed to be to be in contention in that race.”
He was unable to get by McCarl and checkered second. “We just gave up too much ground on the starts, and when we would run him down, there seemed to be another yellow,” says Brian. “I thought I may sneak by on the last lap, but it didn’t work out. Finishing second with that field of cars is a good thing.”
The 360 class went well too. “The main reason we wanted to run the 360 was to qualify,” says Brian. “We were able to time fifth, and we found some things that picked up the program there.”
After running third in his heat, Brian lined up fourth for the feature. He would again finish second. “I didn’t get the best start,” he says. “I think I was fifth or sixth off of turn two. Matt (Moro) did a good job to get going and get to the front. I gave it all we had, we just got beat by a better car. If you are going to lose, it’s good to lose to a so-called teammate with Casey’s General Stores. He does a good job and he is a good guy.”
Thursday will mark Brian’s qualifying night for the 360 Nationals. “This time of the year is what we’ve been preparing for a long time,” he says. “We’re just looking for a good solid run to put ourselves in position for Saturday. If we do that, I think we have the team, the car and the motor to get it done.”
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
Brad Bremmercamp asks: What does it mean when a tire "seals over?" And is there a certain track condition that causes this?
Brian answers: What happens is you get some heat in the tire when you go sliding across the track. It glazes the tire over. It doesn’t work with the track and it doesn’t take any more heat. It’s kind of like an old, dry-rotted tire that’s been in the weather. It’s not good. We do grooving and siping of the tires to make sure it doesn’t happen.
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 competed in 12 360 Nationals. He has registered one quick time, three heat wins, has one Prelim C main win, one prelim B main win, and has competed in eleven prelim main events. He won one in 2010. He has won two B mains on Saturday night, and competed in ten championship events, registering five top fives and seven top tens. His best finish was second in 2008.
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 – Maxim Racing
Brian says, “Chuck and Karen Merrill are not only great people, but they put everything into putting the best car out on the market. I’ve always been a supporter of theirs, and with Brian Brown Racing, you’ll always see their chassis.”
Brian has been partnering with Maxim since 2003. After years of success as a car owner, Chuck Merrill started his chassis business in a rented three-bay garage in November of 1988. The first car was driven by Johnny Herrera at the Florida All Stars Sprint Week in February of 1989. By June of that year, Maxim moved into a 7,000 square foot facility. By 2001, Maxim had grown substantially producing 304 chassis that year. In 2002, Maxim moved to its present 12,500 square foot location in Springfield, Illinois. Maxim continues to offer their customers unmatched service and support, and currently has 17 quality employees, and builds over 400 chassis on an annual basis. Their world-famous “K-car” was designed for Steve Kinser, and has won ten Knoxville Nationals titles and fourteen World of Outlaws championships! To top it all, Maxim offers a warranty if you are not completely satisfied with your car. For more information on Maxim, visit www.racemaxims.com!
Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – Don’s Truck Wash
Brian says – “I’ve know Don a long time, and whenever we’re in Sedalia, we like to go down to Don’s and get the truck and trailer washed.”
Don's Truck Towing and Truck Wash, specializes in heavy-duty towing and recovery. They have more than 31 years of experience, and their highly trained professionals can handle any situation from state-to-state towing, uprighting over-turned equipment, and off road extractions. Call them at 660 827-2970, or visit them on the web at www.DonsTruckTowing.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, AllDayParts.com, 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, Mothers Wax, 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 Jul 30, 2012
- Article Date: 7/30/2012 by Bill Wright