(Bill W) October 28, 2013 – It takes luck to run up front at the Short Track Nationals, but Brian Brown and the Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 team couldn’t find much of it last weekend. The team worked hard, but came up short of their goal. They will get a couple of well-earned weeks off to prepare for The World Finals in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A change in the Short Track Nationals format added a program on Wednesday night. Over ninety cars showed up to compete!
It was probably the toughest one-day field that I’ve been a part of. The Capitani Classic is up there too. We drew 135 out of 150, so that put us starting ninth in our heat.
At that point, I know you were trying to get as many passing points as you could.
We got up to fourth, but I got a little complacent there. I was going to be happy with fourth, but (Matt) Covington drove by me there. Fourth would have locked us in the show, but fifth put us in the third row of the B.
You weren’t able to make it out of the B.
We just didn’t make the right adjustments. It was a tough deal, but unless you won the feature, it really didn’t matter. It was just a little bit more than a practice session.
The real deal came in your prelim on Thursday, but your luck wasn’t any better with the draw.
We didn’t think we could draw much worse than we did Wednesday, but we did. We got a pretty good start in the heat and got up to sixth (from eighth). I tried to make something happen, and it didn’t work (finishing seventh). If you don’t get a lot of points in your heat, you’re in for a long night.
You bounced back in the qualifier and the B.
That’s what’s good about our team. They are fighters who never give up. We got it better in the qualifier. We were able to drive by Chris Bell, Jason Johnson and Derek Hagar. We got up to fourth (after starting eighth), and then we were able to go from fourth to second in the B.
What were your thoughts heading into the feature?
We were hoping to drive up to third and salvage our night. The track didn’t really clean off so we could run the middle until a little bit later than we would have liked. I was able to get up to fifteenth and then I tried the middle and it wasn’t ready. I got passed by a couple of guys. At the end, we got going pretty good and got back up to ninth.
That put you in row six for the one of Saturday’s B’s.
Overall, to be tenth in points and have a shot at the A main on Saturday night wasn’t too bad considering our start to the night.
Unfortunately, there was a four-hour rain delay before you could hit the track on Saturday.
It was a bad deal really. It was bad for the fans who had to wait in the rain, and it was bad for us stomping around in the mud. Realistically, maybe we should have got a four-hour head-start on our drive home. But this is a team that will never give up.
You pulled off early.
They got the track ironed in. We wanted to survive out there and maybe take advantage of some drivers having some issues. We got a pretty good start, but then I got into three and four and biked up on two wheels. I let everyone back by me. At that point, I made a couple more laps and called it a day. It wasn’t worth tearing something up to run tenth in the B. It definitely wasn’t the Short Track Nationals we wanted, but the car is in one piece, and we’re getting ready for Charlotte.
Follow Brian on the Web, Twitter and Facebook!
Follow Brian at his website located at www.BrianBrownRacing.com!
Also keep up with FVP, Casey’s and Brian on Facebook and Twitter at the following links…
Twitter Links – @BrianBrown21, @FVPRacing, @CaseysGenStores
Facebook Links
Brian Brown Racing – www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Brown-Racing/200630163294222
Casey’s General Stores – www.facebook.com/pages/Caseys-General-Stores/112073528804354
FVP Racing - http://www.facebook.com/FVPRacing?ref=ts&fref=ts
Other Web site info
Casey's: www.caseys.com
FVP: www.fvpparts.com
Brown’s Bits
In Brian’s 25 starts in Australia, he’s grabbed two wins, 11 top fives (44%) and 17 top tens (68%). He’s competed at twelve different tracks in Australia, covering five provinces (South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Western Australia). His biggest win was arguably his $10,000 triumph at the Rolling Thunder Raceway in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria on January 3, 2006. There, he topped Luch Monte, Daryn Pittman, Troy Little and Jason Johnson for the cash.
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 – Housby Trucks
Brian says, “Jack, Kelly and Kevin Housby have been great to me since I was in the Casey’s car. They have provided our truck, and they do great service on trucks in the Des Moines area.”
Since 1969, Housby has been known for the quality of new and used trucks they sell and their excellent customer service. What started out primarily as a Mack Truck dealership has grown into a conglomerate of vertically integrated businesses that share synergy by bringing multiple services to their customers. Businesses include Housby Mack, Inc., Housby Mixer Group, Housby Truck Lube, Vocon Remarketing, Second Generation and Housby Motorsports. Visit www.Housby.com for more information!
Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – Vortex Wings
Vortex Racing Products is the industry leader in Sprintcar Wing design. From humble beginnings in 1995, they began producing wings for their own use and quickly became engaged in producing wings for other race teams. Inspired by a life-long background in race car design and manufacturing from their father, Paul and Lynton Jeffrey continued to evolve into a company known for producing a product a little different from the rest. This ability to manufacture a Wing that is unique in design is what has been their success. They continually push the boundaries of design with an extensive testing program. It is their understanding of chassis design and manufacturing that allows communication with clients and tailors a wing package that best suits the race driver, team and make of chassis. It is called “The Vortex Advantage”. Visit them on the web today at www.VortexRacingProducts.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, Wolfe Eye Clinic, Bell Helmets, CP Pistons, Carrillo Rods, Vortex Wings, Penray, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Butler Built Seats, AkzoNobel Sikkens, AllDayParts.com, Tru Square, Jack Links, 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 Fuel Injection, 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, ADD, 6B Apparel, Zips Energy Seeds, Bosch, NGK, Garrett Racing Engines, MSD and WSIB Insurance for all their support!
Attached: Brian in action at I-30 Speedway (Jimmy Jones Photo)
- Admin Account on Oct 28, 2013
- Article Date: 10/28/2013 by Bill Wright