Since returning to the Midwest in late March, Brian Brown and the Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 team have been on a roll. In seven events, they have not failed to finish out of the top five. Two third place finishes last weekend at Knoxville Raceway in the 410 class, and with the ASCS Warrior region at the Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia marks five podium finishes in the last six races. The team will return to Knoxville this Saturday night.
You came out 21st in the qualifying order Saturday at Knoxville and still laid down second quick.
-Qualifying is a huge part of racing, and you have to qualify well. Charlie Garrett has worked hard this winter on our engines. We’ve seen those results this year. Saturday was no different. We were able to get second quick.
That lined you up sixth in the heat, and you were able to charge to a win there.
-I thought we had one of the tougher heats. With the caliber of cars that were in there, I was just hoping to sneak into third or fourth. When the green dropped, we could really go anywhere we wanted.
Have you made any significant changes this year to the car?
-We switched over to Factory Kahne shocks and they’ve allowed our car to go into spots that we haven’t before. When guys went to the top, we’d go to the bottom and vice versa. We got the win in the heat, and it worked out well for us.
You started fifth in the feature. There was a lot of good racing in there, and you ended up third.
-We were just a little too tight to start the race. We gave up too much track position early. I think at one time we were back to sixth or seventh. Once the fuel load burned off, we really came forward well. The car was really good the last six to ten laps and we were able to finish third. It was a good learning experience for us, and something we’ll add to the notebook for the Nationals. I think Saturday was a good step in the right direction.
It was a quick turnaround to a day show in Sedalia.
-I want to thank Gerry Olson and Impact Signs, Awnings and Wraps for bringing racing back to Sedalia for seven events this year. There was a time that we didn’t think racing would ever return there, so we’re excited. It was an afternoon show, so we knew it would probably be dry and slick. It turned out to be the best prepared track I’ve seen for a day show. In the heat, we were able to go from fifth to second. I got to pushing the issue too hard, got over the cushion, and let Cody Baker get back by me. We were in a bad spot, because that one spot would have put us in the redraw. As it was, we started ninth. It wasn’t one of my brightest decisions on the track.
What were your thoughts heading into the feature?
-We knew it was already laying rubber. We needed to get what we could on the start and get in line. We were able to get up to third and take what we could. I was kicking myself a little bit for the mistake in the heat race. We would have liked to make the redraw, but it is what it is. My hat is off to my guys. We were home from Knoxville about five in the morning, and we were leaving for Sedalia again at eight. They did a phenomenal job.
That’s seven top fives and five podium finishes since you’ve been back in the Midwest.
-If you can put yourself in that position every night, you’re going to win your fair share of races. We’re looking forward to getting back to Knoxville Saturday and try a few things we wanted to try last week. Hopefully, we can get the win.
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
- administrator on Apr 21, 2016
- Article Date: 4/20/2016