(Bill W) November 11, 2013 – The Brian Brown Racing Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 team was as fast as any sprint car team last weekend at the World Finals. The finale for the World of Outlaws took place at the Dirt Track in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Grain Valley, Missouri driver finished in the runner-up spot on Friday night before blowing a tire on the final lap and registering tenth in Saturday’s finale.
Qualifying for the World Finals all takes place on Thursday with two sets of time trials for Friday and Saturday events. What do you do differently with that format?
With qualifying on a different day, it gives you a different outlook. The track was very technical with the qualifying for Friday. There were a lot of holes. I think I was 25th quick on the first lap, and third quick on the second. I ended up fourth. Our Maxim chassis with a Charlie Garett engine performed well for us as it has been all year.
How did the qualifying for Saturday’s events go?
I kind of messed up the first lap. I took it a little easier the second lap and was nineteenth quick. It definitely wasn’t were I wanted to be, but when there are fifty-five cars and there’s a twenty-car (heat) invert, we were where we needed to be.
Your time for Friday put you outside of row two in your heat.
Fourth quick can be a tough spot. You’re not qualified into the Dash by time, you have to race in (top two). We were able to get our car good and go from fourth to second. We had a good race with Craig Dollansky there for the second spot and we were able to clear him. We were almost able to get by Caleb Griffith for the win. That was huge for us. We were starting third in the Dash, instead of thirteenth or fourteenth in the feature.
You were able to win the Dash from row two.
We didn’t get a very good start and were back to fourth. There was a yellow a couple of laps in. We were able to get a good run on the outside of one and two and get by everybody for the lead. We kind of set sail from there. It was probably as good as our car was all year and gave us a boost of confidence headed into the A.
You led the first dozen laps or so of the feature.
We were able to get out and get the lead. We were lapping cars pretty easily. We had been running the top of one and two and the bottom of three and four. As the race went on, the top got dirtier and dirtier from guys on the bottom throwing crumbs up the track. We were able to move to the bottom of one and two and still felt pretty good. Then the yellow came out.
That meant a double-file restart, and all bets are off aren’t they?
When you are leading, it’s tough. You don’t really know where to run on the restart. I went where I thought I needed to be, which was the bottom. (Donny) Schatz got a good run on the outside and we had a good race side-by-side for a couple of laps. He got us and then we fell back in there. We ran him down and pressured him the rest of the race. It just didn’t work out. Schatz has taken a lot of money out of our pockets with us running second to him, but a lot of people around the country could say that.
You had to be frustrated.
It just wasn’t our time. To be in contention with the 55 cars there, just shows how strong our team is. Chad Morgan and Travis Marsch do a whale of a job, and we have great partners.
Saturday came and nineteenth quick put you on the pole of your heat. You won, but it wasn’t easy.
I think there were around twenty-five Outlaw championships in those first two rows. It was definitely tough. Steve (Kinser) was beside me and (Jason) Meyers and Sammy (Swindell) were behind us. We had to get going, and we were able to move around and see what the car liked. Steve got a run on us late and we were able to hold him off. It was on to the Dash.
How did you feel in the Dash?
Prior to the Dash, they reworked the track, which made it a little one-lane. We were still able to go from tenth to ninth. I still thought starting ninth, we had a good shot to win the race.
It didn’t take you long to charge towards the front in the feature.
They dropped the green, and we went to the bottom. In six laps, we went from ninth to third. I really thought with another good lap or two, we could have had the lead. Then the yellow came out. The double-file restarts can be your best friend or they can hurt you. They hurt us a bit on Saturday.
Still, you finished strong until the tire.
We fell back to fifth or sixth and came back to fourth. We were going to run there, but we blew a right rear tire coming to the checkers. We lost six spots and ended up tenth. That was disappointing to run that well and not get a top five finish. On the other hand, it could have happened on the backstretch and we would have ended up 23rd or 24th.
You had to feel good about your finish to the season.
Overall, it was a strong run for the team. I thought we were as good as anyone all weekend long, and I’m really proud of the guys. They worked their tails off all weekend, and all year. If I keep them together long enough, we’ll definitely have some wins ahead of us.
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
Brian’s solid season with the WoO included fifteen top ten finishes in his thirty-three tries. Counting the Nationals, he scored one win in the prelim there, and registered four seconds, two thirds and eight top five finishes in 2013 with the Outlaws.
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 – Penray
Brian says – “We’re using all their brake cleaning materials. Mark and all the guys there are great to work with. We’re looking for a long relationship between them and Brian Brown Racing.”
Incorporated in 1950, The Penray Companies continue to grow strong after 50 years of service in the heavy-duty and automotive chemical industry. There are two main plants for the manufacture of both liquids and aerosol products. They are in Elk Grove Village and Wheeling, Illinois. Penray is comprised of four separate business units: heavy-duty, automotive, export, and custom manufacturing. Visit Penray today at www.Penray.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!
- Admin Account on Nov 11, 2013
- Article Date: 11/11/2013 by Bill Wright