By Bill W
April 26, 2011 – It will be back to two half-mile tracks that sprint car driver Brian Brian loves this weekend. Weather pending, he’s planning on the Spring Nationals in Jackson, Minnesota on Friday night, and the season opener at the Knoxville Raceway, where he is the defending track champion, on Saturday. Last Saturday night, Brian finished sixth in the opener for the Monster Energy™ Sprint Series at the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa.
With several heavy hitters again planning to take to Knoxville on Saturday night, Brian realizes the challenge to get to victory lane. “Every year at Knoxville, it’s tough,” he says. “Especially with guys like Terry (McCarl), Danny (Lasoski) and Don Droud Jr. around, and (Kerry) Madsen will be there from time to time. It’s definitely going to be tough, and that’s great for the fans.”
Brown had a great battle with Droud for the championship last season, and the addition of fourteen track titles in the form of McCarl and Lasoski will only spice things up for the fans. “The fans deserve to see good racing, and they’re going to see it this year,” he says. “We have a lot of guys who can win on any given night and they are the ones who will benefit from that. If you don’t know where you’re going on Saturdays this year, you aren’t really a sprint car fan.”
It will be Brian’s first appearance at Jackson since he won the Jackson Nationals last August based on his strong finishes two nights in a row. “We’ve done well there,” he says. “I don’t think we’ve won there, but every time we’ve run to the end, we’ve been towards the front. We won the Jackson Nationals last year for being consistent both nights, but Friday, we’d like to win the race.”
There are always fans of the FVP #21 at Jackson. “We have some great fans up there, and I’m looking forward to seeing them,” says Brian. “I have to thank Folkens Brothers Trucking for putting this on, and Van Wyhe Livestock will be an associate sponsor on our car this week. I’m really looking forward to getting up there. Hopefully, we can get it in.”
The first event for the Midwest Open Wheel Organization went well at 34 Raceway. “The Monster Energy group and the 34 Raceway both need to be commended for that event,” says Brian. “The way the track stuck with things to get it in was great. The series has only been at it for a couple of months and I don’t think they could have had a better start to the season.”
With a constant drizzle the last half of time trials, Brian’s qualifying effort (eighth) was affected. “I think the rain hurt us a bit,” he says. “I think the mist cost us some of the traction we needed to cut two good laps. I think we could have had a top two or three time at least. I don’t know that we would have out-timed Danny (Lasoski), but we could have been up there.”
Starting fifth in his heat, Brian would surge to second at the finish. “We were able to pick our way through to second,” he says. “I was obviously hoping to get in the top six redraw, but we ended up one spot short.”
He would start inside row four for the main event. “The first few laps we kind of found our own,” he says. “We lost our brakes a ways in there, and after that, we were just cruising along. If you are a hired gun with nothing to lose, you may be able to rip it in there, but being an owner/driver, you know there are better days ahead.”
Brian maintained to finish sixth. “Anytime you run sixth and don’t really have a shot to win, it’s not a good night,” he says. “We didn’t have any brakes either, and the way the track was…that was not a good thing. You need them to turn the car and keep it loaded.”
Follow Brian and FVP Racing on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube!
The FVP marketing team has launched a Twitter page, a Facebook page (including Brian’s GoPro In-car camera videos and FVP Racing Report), 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
To purchase Brian’s new t-shirts, visit www.BrianBrownRacing.com!
Brian’s Q&A
Joe Williams asks: What is a typical Wednesday like for you during the race season?
Brian answers: Throughout the week, you kind of lose track of what day it is. You know when Friday and Saturday are. These racecars are a lot of work. You have to keep up with what is going on with the car. You are ordering parts. A lot of times during the week, I’m in the owner role. This week, we’ll be making appearances on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the St. Louis area for Factory Motor Parts and FVP. We’re not playing golf, I can tell you that.
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 won Knoxville’s season opener in 2007 and went on to win the championship that year. Brian would struggle to 20th quick, but surged from 7th to 4th in his heat race. Starting 17th in the feature, he was second by the halfway point, and cruised by Skip Jackson for the lead on lap 14. He was followed to the stripe by Ricky Logan, Scott Winters, Kaley Gharst and Dennis Moore Jr.
FVP
We 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. Visit us on the web at www.FVPparts.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 are what you need! Check out our new SPLASH website at www.SPLASHWash.com!
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 – Kaeding Performance
Brian says – “If you need parts, especially if you’re on the west coast, Kaeding Performance is the place to go.”
The Kaeding family has had a long and successful history in both racing and business in California and over the years they combined the two into a successful racing business. The property where the business is located has been in the family since the early 1940’s. The family is represented by three generations of champions including – Howard, Brent, Tim and Bud. Kaeding Performance relies on this racing experience to offer customers the latest in sprint car technology, set-up advice and confidence in the parts they sell. They are proud to represent the finest manufacturers in the business, and hope their catalog helps you and your race team in finding the right part for the job. The staff has many years of racing experience as well. Rely on them for any and all of your
racing needs. Visit them at www.Kaedings.com!
Brian would like to thank FVP, Searsboro Telephone Company, Impact Sign and Lighting, Champion Brands, SPLASH, Ditzfeld Transfer, Maxim Racing, Smiley’s Racing Products, Weld Wheels, Housby Trucks, My State Insurance Rates, Arctic Cat, K&N Filters, Hostiowa.net, FSR Race Products, TI64, Fuel-Safe Tanks, Awesome Racewear, Wolfe Eye Clinic, 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, GoPro, XYZ Machining, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Peterson Fluid System, Red Devil Brakes, Schoenfeld Headers, www.Impact4800.com and WSIB Insurance for all their help!