By Bill W
May 23, 2011 – After getting one show in the last two weekends, Brian Brown will try to make up for it by competing five straight nights this Memorial Day weekend. A third place finish at Jacksonville Speedway with the Monster Energy™ Sprint Car Series last Friday, will be followed by runs at I-80 Speedway Thursday, the Junction Motor Speedway on Friday, The Great American Dirt Track Saturday and Sunday in Jetmore, Kansas and the 81 Speedway on Monday.
Brian raced for the second time this year with the Monster Series on Friday in Jacksonville. Starting tenth in his heat, he made a last corner move to inch ahead for fifth. That would give him enough passing points to make the six-car dash. “You really don’t have a choice but to pass as many cars as you can when you draw that bad in your heat,” he says. “It took three or four times to get going, and then I hit the backstretch wall and bent the Jacob ’s ladder. That made it more of a handful then it should have been. We were able to get fifth three by a couple of inches, and these races can be a game of inches sometimes. We were just happy to be able to get to the dash.”
The dash saw little passing, and the Grain Valley, Missouri driver finished where he started. “As the night went on, the track got rougher,” he says. “They’ve reconfigured that track so it’s harder to run the top as much as you used to. It was right around the bottom in the dash. We stayed third, and you don’t come to win the dash, you come to win the A.”
The FVP #21 team made some changes for the main event. “We had been running thirteen inches of stagger all night long,” says Brian of the setup for the banked ¼ mile. “We made the decision to go down to around eight inches for the feature. My thought was, with the holes and the bouncing around, I would be able to do what Terry (McCarl) did, and run the top a little bit. We just were too tight to get rotated in the corners, and when I did, it was pushing towards the fence and not straight. We just missed it.”
Early, Brian found his way to second behind, leader Jimmy Hurley. “I felt when we got to second, Jimmy was a little better than us,” he says. “I just figured I could make something happen in traffic. There were so many yellows that we just never got there.”
Eventual winner, Terry McCarl, found his way by on a restart. “Honestly, he probably had the fastest car, and he deserved to win,” says Brian of Terry. “It was encouraging for me just finishing. I had been to Jacksonville six times prior, and never finished a race there. Somewhere along the line, we knocked the Jacob’s ladder off again, but it was good to finish towards the front and be close for next time.”
It will be back to 360 racing, as ASCS-Midwest shows loom at the I-80 Speedway near Greenwood, Nebraska on Thursday and the Junction Motor Speedway near McCool Junction, Nebraska on Friday. “Those two tracks, especially I-80, are right up there with Knoxville as my favorite tracks,” says Brian. “ We’ve had good success there, and hopefully, Thursday won’t be any different. The Kosiski brothers always have the track in good shape and we have our hard hitting Searsboro Telephone Company motor.”
It’s on to the Third Annual Steve King Memorial Saturday and Sunday night in Jetmore, Kansas under ASCS-Sooner/NCRA sanction. “The two shows are $3,000 to win each night, and they’re also giving a $2,000 bonus to the high point getter for both nights,” says Brian. “Steve King was always a tough competitor, and I know he meant a great deal to the community of Jetmore. I’m looking forward to getting out there and being a part of the weekend.”
It’s not lost on Brian that he will miss his first weekly show at Knoxville Raceway in several years on Saturday. “It will be bittersweet,” he says. “I think you’ll have to go back to 2005 or 2006 since I’ve missed a show there. The fans there are the best, and we’ll sure be keeping up on what’s going on there. This year is a little different. We’re looking forward to running some different races and getting FVP some exposure at different venues.”
The weekend will be completed on Monday with a NCRA event at 81 Speedway near Wichita, Kansas on the way home. “We’ve always run well in Wichita,” says Brian. “Hopefully, the track will be in good shape. The last couple times we’ve been here it has laid rubber. I’m hoping they work on that. It’s kind of like the old days where you hit the road like this weekend. We’ve been putting the work in the shop. My Grandpa (George Lasoski), Andy (Korte), Chaddy (Cypart) and myself have been working hard, not only on my car, but on Justyn’s (Cox). We want to go get some wins.”
Hopefully, Mother Nature stays away. “We’ll forgive her for the last couple of weeks, if she gives us our five shows this weekend,” says Brian.
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
Keith Lucas asks: What do you think the optimal size track is to fit your racing style?
Brian answers: The bigger the better, and the slicker the better. That seems to fit my style. Don Long provides us with a great 360 motor, and we have some good ones on the 410 side too. Anytime you are on a big track, horsepower is big, and we never seem to lack that. We also have a good car from Maxim, good tires from Hoosier, and good wheels from Weld.
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 24 wins combined between the I-80 Speedway (16), Junction Motor Speedway (7) and the 81 Speedway (1).
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 – 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 – Racing Optics
Brian says – “Bart at Racing Optics is one of the smartest guys in sprint car racing. He came up with the laminated tear-off. Looking through ten is like looking through one, and they sure help on those nights where the track is heavy.”
Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Racing Optics is the world’s largest manufacturer of laminated tear-offs for Auto Racing Helmets, Motorcycle racing Helmets, helmet shield protectors and NASCAR windshield tear-offs. Racing Optics also makes Laminated Tear-offs for Police and Military applications along with Medical and Industrial applications. Racing Optics has you covered from professional racers to professional law enforcement. Take some time to view all of their products at www.RacingOptics.com, and you might be surprised to see what else they do!
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!