By Brian Brown, Jimmy Jones photo
June 7, 2010 – Two nights at Knoxville Raceway with the World of Outlaws must have seemed like a roller coaster for Brian Brown. A second place finish on Friday night followed a night that included a crash, a thrash and a blown left rear. This weekend, Brian will hit the Eagle Raceway with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Series before returning to Knoxville on Saturday.
Things started well on Thursday with a sixth quick time in qualifying with 46 cars on hand. “Going into the weekend, we really didn’t know where we were with our qualifying package,” says Brian. “We put a fresh Ostrich motor in there, to make sure we had all our ducks in a row. We drew a really good number to qualify. We were still about a tenth off, but that’s better than four-tenths off. Qualifying is huge with the Outlaws.”
Disaster struck in the heat when contact came from Joey Saldana’s right rear. “We got a pretty good start,” says Brian of a heat where he started third. “We rode there in fourth, and as long as you are top five, it doesn’t matter. We got a caution, and on the restart, I got into Dusty Zomer a little bit and got him crossed up. We got going, and entering turn one, I was third. I saw Joey out of the corner of my eye, and I planned to hold my line. He just kept coming and coming. In turn two, he kept coming, and I ran out of Real Estate.”
A mangled racecar was the result. “I had nowhere to go and the contact sent me into the fence,” says the Grain Valley, Missouri driver. “Unfortunately, Erin (Crocker) was caught in the mess too, and that messed up her weekend. It was just a bad deal overall. It was the first thing we’ve torn up all year long, and we were in a spot for a good night.”
The Brian Brown Racing FVP #21 team went to work to get the car ready for the B. “I think that’s what great teams are made of,” says Brian. “Nobody in our pit gave up, and we were able to get back out there in the B and take the win. Things weren’t totally right for the car, but we fixed what we could.”
After threatening the top ten in the feature, a tire would give out in the late stages. “We were doing the best we could,” says Brian. “I think we were running 11th with a couple of laps left and blew the left rear. It was unfortunate, but par for the course on the night. We had high hopes going in; it just didn’t end up the way we wanted it to.”
With a special feature on Friday night that inverted the top twenty cars from Thursday, Brian was living right after finishing 19th. He would start Friday’s 25-lapper outside of row one. “We were able to try a couple of things in the car, because they gave us two hot lap sessions,” he says of Friday. “I think we found some things that could make us better down the road. We were able to get it good for the feature.”
Brian set sail after pole-sitter Jac Haudenschild. “I knew Jac would be tough from the front and we had cars behind us, so we really needed to get going,” he says. “We got to second there, and to be honest, I was a little gun-shy with the Goodyear tires. You can’t go as hard as you want for 25 laps. You’re not going to make it.”
Brian kept pace with Haudenschild even as the two were hitting lapped traffic. “I thought we were fast enough to win, and we kept ourselves in contention by not doing anything stupid,” he says. “The last ten laps, I ran a lot harder than the first 15. I knew if I was going to beat Jac, I would need a good run where I could pass him and then pull away. I looked at the scoreboard and there were four laps to go. I looked again and there were two. I had a good run on him and the yellow came out.”
Jac would select the pole on the restart, putting Brian on the outside. “With the new double-file restarts, you are asking yourself how you’re going to win, but you’re also thinking about not backing it up with those fast cars behind you,” he says. “Jac did what he had to do to win, and once we got to turn two he had four or five car lengths out. We had to settle for second after that. Our left rear was down to two and a half pounds, and we limped home. Our right rear was flat by the time we got to the scale. I’m sure Goodyear and Knoxville are working to get us a tire that will go 50 laps in August.”
Brian is tuning up for the Eagle Nationals preliminary on Friday. “It’s going to be cool to get back over to Eagle and to have Tony Bruce promoting it,” he says. “We’re going there Friday and see what we can do. Of course, if there were a weather issue in Knoxville on Saturday, we’d stick around and try to take the big money home. If not, we’ll continue to build on our program at Knoxville. With the Outlaws gone now until August, the locals can get their cars tuned in. I don’t think the track conditions we saw last weekend are what we’ll see in August, so I hope that’s to our advantage.”
Funk for Congress
Brian supports Dave Funk in his run for the 3rd District Iowa seat in the U.S. Congress! Dave is running for Congress because he believes in a better way for the 3rd District. He has fresh ideas and has both the energy and resolve to bring common sense policies back to Iowa.
Visit www.CongressNeedsFunk.com today!
Follow Brian and FVP Racing on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube!
The FVP marketing team has launched a Twitter page, a Facebook page, and a Youtube page (make sure to subscribe to all!) to keep up to date with Brian and FVP racing! You can become a fan and follow along by clicking on the links below:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fvpracing
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2rakgn
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=fvpracing
Web site
For up to date information on Brian Brown, visit www.BrianBrownRacing.com!
T-shirts
Catch Brian at the track for the new t-shirt, and it will also be up on the website soon!
Brian’s Q&A
Renee Elston asks: Does your run with the Outlaws on Friday give you a confidence boost for August?
Brian answers: It definitely does. The key is you don’t have to set the world on fire at the Nationals. You don’t have to win everything; you just have to put yourself in Friday’s A Scramble and a position to win come Saturday. With 50 laps, the fastest guy may not be your winner. It may be the guy who can figure out the tires best. The FVP #21 team will be working 110% on making it 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 finished in the top five in three of his last four feature events at Eagle Raceway. His one finish out of the top five was a tenth place finish with the World of Outlaws. He has finished third in the last two trips to Eagle. The last one was September 2009 in the $5,000 to win Nebraska Cup.
FVP
FVP specializes in the battery that you need. They know it has to be tough and priced right. They have a line of high-performance batteries for SUVs, trucks, cars and other specialty vehicles that give you quality without breaking the bank. To find a dealer near you, visit them on the web at www.FVPparts.com!
SuperClean
SuperClean is the “super product” for your home, auto, outdoor and marine cleaning jobs. Whether it is grease, oil, wax, tar or dirt that you need to clean from concrete, wheels or just about anything else, SuperClean is the product for you! To learn more about SuperClean, visit www.SuperClean.com!
Splash
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 from SuperClean are what you need! Click on the “Splash Products” link at www.SuperClean.com!
Marketing Partner of the Week – Ditzfeld Transfer
Brian says – “Ditzfeld Transfer is a family deal. Ronnie and his sons were our very first sponsor. They haul our motors, and if I would need anything hauled across the country, I would call them first.”
Ditzfeld Transfer has been with Brian since the start of his racing career, and was his first sponsor. The Sedalia based family owned trucking business has been in operation for over 45 years, and has a commitment to maintaining the highest level of service. Currently, Ditzfeld Transfer utilizes more than 50 power units and 160 trailers. To learn more about Ditzfeld Transfer, visit www.DitzfeldTransfer.com!
Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – ButlerBuilt Profesional 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 would like to thank FVP, SuperClean, Splash, Ditzfeld Transfer, Searsboro Telephone Company, www.FaxMeService.com, Housby Trucks, Maxim Racing, Champion Brands, My State Insurance Rates, Smiley’s Race Products, Impact Sign and Lighting, Arctic Cat, K&N Filters, Hostiowa.net, FSR Race Products, Fuel-Safe Tanks, Awesome Racewear, Wolfe Eye Clinic, Weld Wheels, Bell Helmets, CP Pistons, Carrillo Rods, A1 Mortgage, Rockwell Security, Paul’s Auto Body Supply, Engler Machine, Vortex Wings, Ostrich Racing Engines, Penray, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Butler Built Seats, Rod End Supply, KSE Racing Products, Winters Performance Products, Santomauro Racing Products, Cometic Gaskets, Kaeding Performance, Donovan, Magtech, ISC Racers Tape, Racing Optics, Pro Shocks, Don’s Truck Wash, Gardner Farms, Hoosier Tires, XYZ Machining, Funk for Congress, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Peterson Fluid System, Red Devil Brakes, Schoenfeld Headers, www.Impact4800.com and WSIB Insurance for all their help!