By Bill W
April 2, 2012 – Glad to be back racing in the Midwest, Brian Brown and the Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 team headed to the 81 Speedway near Wichita, Kansas last Saturday night and picked up a solid third place finish. The Grain Valley, Missouri driver made the charge from row number five. This weekend, it is a two-night event at the I-80 Speedway near Greenwood, Nebraska sanctioned by the ASCS-Midwest series.
Brian is glad to be home from an extended racing trip to the west coast. “We’re just glad to be back here in the Midwest,” he says. “The weather’s really nice this type of year. We’re just glad that C. Ray Hall and the NCRA put up the money they did to win, and we had a huge crowd.”
A good heat race run set up a spot in the main event with a stout field on hand. “We drew a pretty good number, and started sixth in the heat,” says Brian. “We were able to run up to third. That was good enough for us to start tenth in the A.”
It took little time for Brian to surge towards the front of the pack, and he was chasing a couple of Johnsons. “We came up through there pretty good,” he says. “Once we got to third, Jason (Johnson) and (leader) Wayne (Johnson) were ahead of us. I never felt like we were as fast as them.”
The leaders were clamoring for the same real estate later in the race, and Brian took advantage. “I did have a feeling that the Johnson cousins might crash each other,” he admits. “On lap 17 or 18, we had a restart and Jason followed Wayne through one and two. Over in three and four, he put a pretty good slider on him and that knocked Wayne back a bit. I was able to capitalize and get by Wayne, but I couldn’t catch Jason.”
In the runner-up spot, things were looking great until a surging Danny Lasoski mounted a run. “We were running second, and Danny got a good run on us and was able to get by with three or four to go,” says Brian. “Overall, from where we’ve been, we had a pretty good outing. We had our car in contention for second or third. We’ve got to keep working on it.”
This weekend, the 4/10-mile banked oval near Greenwood, Nebraska will be the place to be , as the I-80 Speedway hosts Friday and Saturday night action for the ASCS-Midwest series. “It’s no secret that that ranks right there with Knoxville as my favorite place,” says Brian. “We’ve run well there, and we’ve had some really good luck. A lot of it is just in my head too. I have a lot of confidence there. We like these two day shows that pay well.”
Web site info
For up to date information on Brian Brown Racing visit www.BrianBrownRacing.com
Casey’s: www.caseys.com
FVP: www.fvpparts.com
Brian’s Q&A
Adam Teague asks: Why do you think you run so well at I-80?
Brian answers: A lot of it is just confidence. I don’t think I run the track any differently than anyone else. We’re just able to have the confidence to run there. We have a good package that works there for the top or the bottom really. Hopefully, this weekend is no different.
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 picked up three wins in five tries at I-80 Speedway near Greenwood, Nebraska in 2011. His wins came in the finale of the two-day April show, on May 26 and on July 1. He has ten career feature wins at the facility.
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 – Maxim Racing
Brian says, “Chuck and Karen Merrill are not only great people, but they put everything into putting the best car out on the market. I’ve always been a supporter of theirs, and with Brian Brown Racing, you’ll always see their chassis.”
Brian has been partnering with Maxim since 2003. After years of success as a car owner, Chuck Merrill started his chassis business in a rented three-bay garage in November of 1988. The first car was driven by Johnny Herrera at the Florida All Stars Sprint Week in February of 1989. By June of that year, Maxim moved into a 7,000 square foot facility. By 2001, Maxim had grown substantially producing 304 chassis that year. In 2002, Maxim moved to its present 12,500 square foot location in Springfield, Illinois. Maxim continues to offer their customers unmatched service and support, and currently has 17 quality employees, and builds over 400 chassis on an annual basis. Their world-famous “K-car” was designed for Steve Kinser, and has won ten Knoxville Nationals titles and fourteen World of Outlaws championships! To top it all, Maxim offers a warranty if you are not completely satisfied with your car. For more information on Maxim, visit www.racemaxims.com!Generation and Housby Motorsports. Visit www.Housby.com for more information!
Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – FSR Race Products
Brian says – “Garry (Bell) and his family have been a big supporter of Brian Brown Racing since its inception. We use a lot of their products that I feel racers should be using like their engine mount radiators, block heaters, toe plates and their hot water heater. They make a lot of great products, and it’s great to represent them.”
This is Brian’s second year being involved with Four Seasons Radiator (FSR) Race Products. The products used from FSR include engine mount radiators and an engine block heater that runs off 110 volts. FSR Radiator wants to insure the highest level of customer service by meeting your product needs. They are dedicated to Ground Support Equipment and understand the high demands of the industries they are involved in. They specialize in building radiators and fuel tanks for tug and beltloader applications. They also build forklift, push-back and other GSE radiators. Their radiators are designed to fit! No Universal Applications! Plus, all of their radiators come with a ONE YEAR WARRANTY! Visit them on the web at www.fsrradiator.com!
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, Awesome Racewear, Wolfe Eye Clinic, Bell Helmets, CP Pistons, Carrillo Rods, Engler Machine, Vortex Wings, Penray, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Butler Built Seats, AkzoNobel Sikkens, Jack Links, Rockstar, 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, Racing Optics, Don’s Truck Wash, Gardner Farms, Hoosier Tires, GoPro, XYZ Machining, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Peterson Fluid System, Red Devil Brakes, Schoenfeld Headers, and WSIB Insurance for all their support!