(Bill W) December 10, 2013 – This week, we look at the races leading up to and including the Knoxville Nationals. The stretch included a handful of wins at Knoxville, and a strong run at Southern Iowa Sprintweek, including a win at the Front Row Challenge, and a preliminary win leading up to a second place finish in the Nationals.
Leading up to the Nationals, you were strong, particularly at Knoxville.
It’s winter here in Missouri and I’m thinking about the Knoxville Nationals today. The Nationals is something that you always think about, and as it gets closer…June, July and August…it’s kind of like the last days of the school year as a kid…you’re counting down the days at that point.
You scored a pair of 410 wins in July at Knoxville, including first and second place runs on Twin Features Night.
The Nationals is our ultimate goal. As it gets closer, there’s no better time to have some momentum on your side and have things rolling your way. We just missed a win with the Outlaws there in June too. We got into a lapped car and (Donny) Schatz got by us there. Leading up to Cox Design and Metal Fabrication Southern Iowa Sprintweek, momentum never hurts. I think once we got into that, we showed we had our momentum going.
A tough qualifying lap had you behind the 8-ball at the Knoxville 360 Nationals. Still you made a run from the back of the pack to finish fourth.
The 360 Nationals has been something that has seemed to elude us. We never have put a whole weekend together for whatever reason. One of these years, we will, and hopefully, we have the opportunity to win it. We didn’t qualify the best in the world. We were able to win the heat and charge from the back to sixth or seventh in the prelim. We were able to go from 21st to fourth in the final. It seemed like we ran out of laps. We were coming hard. As our team keeps building, we want to win races like that.
With 81 cars in the pits at the Capitani Classic, you were able to finish on the podium.
As far as the quality of cars and amount of cars, the Capitani Classic is right there at the top. To finish third behind Kevin (Swindell) and Justin (Henderson) was good momentum for us going into the Nationals. It was a good test for us too, because we were able to try some things that helped us for the 410 Nationals that we normally wouldn’t try. Ralph Capitani is someone we’ve looked up to, and to run third in a race in his honor is something to be proud of.
You won the Front Row Challenge, but it came after an accident took out the top three, including one of your heroes, Tony Stewart.
I’d trade anything in the world, including the money and trophy for that race if Tony’s leg could have stayed healed. The Front Row Challenge is a race we’ve always wanted to win, but not that way. Tony is a good friend of ours, and someone I look up to as not only a racer, but a person. I feel he’s someone who gets a bad rap sometimes, but he’s a guy who would take the shirt off his back for you. He’s probably as influential in not only sprint car racing, but in motorsports as anyone there’s ever been. We’re lucky we have him in this sport. I think he’s getting better, and hopefully, he’ll be ready for Daytona. Hopefully, he can come back to the Front Row Challenge and we can beat him fair and square.
What was your mindset heading into the Nationals?
Our goal all year long was to just put ourselves in position to win again. I think that’s the toughest part. I’ve been there many years with a fast car and just had the bad luck. My big thing after 2012 was to get another opportunity.
Things went your way on your qualifying night.
We drew a bad number and qualified ninth. We were able to from ninth to second in the heat. We were able to start fifth in the feature and take the lead. We had a pretty good battle with Kerry Madsen and we were able to win. That’s probably the single biggest win of my career to this point. Having FVP being the presenting sponsor of the Knoxville Nationals, and having Casey’s General Stores being the Thursday night sponsor couldn’t have been better for our team. To have the people from FVP, Casey’s, Searsboro Telephone Company, Impact4800.com, Champion , Smiley’s, Weld and Maxim there…pretty much all of our partners…I think that was the most special win we’ve ever had. When your friends and family are there at Knoxville Raceway like that…it’s about as special as it gets.
What was the game plan, starting on the front row of the Knoxville Nationals?
It was a whole different mindset going into this year than it was last. Last year, we just wanted to have a good run. This year, anything less than a win was going to be a disappointment. Chad Morgan and Travis Marsch had the car flawless. Our Garrett engine, Maxim chassis and Pro shocks were perfect. Everything from our Hoosier tires to Vortex wings to Weld wheels worked out perfect.
You pulled away the first 25 laps.
The first half of the race, I don’t think we good have done anything better. As the rubber was coming down late in that first segment, I was getting a little tighter than I would like. We made a few minor adjustments for the second half. We just didn’t do enough. When the rubber came more and more, we were just too tight. We let Schatz get to us, and the rest was history.
It had to be disappointing to come so close to winning it all again.
It’s hard to say you’re disappointed in running second at the Knoxville Nationals. Truthfully, we are very, very grateful to have done it. To get that close of your lifelong dream is a tough pill to swallow though. I think it will make our team stronger, and if we can ever win that race it will be all the more special. I’m just proud of everyone on our whole team with their performance that week.
Next week we conclude the season with the Brian Brown Racing Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 team.
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 registered a career-high sixteen wins in 2013. His wins came in Tucson, Arizona, Hanford, California, Grain Valley, Missouri, Knoxville, Iowa (5), Jackson, Minnesota (2), Sioux Center, Iowa, Fairmont, Minnesota, Oskaloosa, Iowa, Moberly, Missouri, Jacksonville, Illinois and Mesquite, Texas.
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 – Champion Racing Lubricants (Champion Racing 20W50 Motor Oil)
Visit Champion’s new web page at www.ChampionsUseChampion.com! Champion Racing 20W50 Motor Oil is the one that started it all by beating the competition in providing more horsepower, torque, and anti-wear additives than many of the more well known brands of racing oil. Champion Racing 20W50's premium ZDDP anti-wear protection is among the highest in the industry. Champion's exclusive shear stabilizer delivers better film strength and piston ring seal at peak temperatures. Champion Racing 20W50 also delivers more foot-pounds of torque with higher compression than any competitor's brands.
Benefits include:
• Provides exceptional low coefficient of friction
• Offers film strength and viscosity stability of thicker mono-grades at higher temperatures
• Provides upper cylinder anti-wear protection
• Increases high-temp oil pressure and compression
• Formulated for flat tappet, roll over cams and bearings in turbo and super-charged racing engines
• Lowers engine temperature
• Compatible with petroleum and other synthetics
Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems
Brian says – “From day one in racing, all I have ever used has been ButlerBuilt seat systems. Brian and Jeannie Butler do a great job, and make sure their drivers are in the safest seat possible. I’d never run anything else.”
No matter the form of motorsports, ButlerBuilt’s leadership makes it the most successful seat in the industry! Winners utilizing ButlerBuilt in the last two weeks span a wide range of motorsports: Kyle Busch, Bubba Pollard, Tyler Walker, Jonathan Allard, Brady Short, Jason Sides, Josh Fisher, Shannon McQueen, Wayne Johnson, Bud Kaeding, Jessica Zemken, Lynton Jeffrey, Jason Johnson, Brooke Tatnell, Levi Jones and many more! To learn more about the Butler Advantage, visit www.ButlerBuilt.net today!
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 Victory Lane on Thursday night of the Knoxville Nationals. Kerry Madsen (L) was second, and Kevin Swindell (R) third. (Rob Kocak Photo)
- Admin Account on Dec 12, 2013
- Article Date: 12/12/2013 by Bill Wright