Brian Brown – WoO Win Comes Home to Grain Valley!
(Bill W) November 10, 2014 – For Brian Brown and the Casey’s General Stores/FVP #21 team, winning their first “official” World of Outlaws feature event was special. What happened afterwards with the biggest legend in sprint car racing made it all the more so. The Grain Valley, Missouri driver picked up the finale at the World Finals at The Dirt Track in Charlotte, North CarolinaSaturday night. He will finish up his 2014 season behind the wheel of Shawn Petersen’s #4 this weekend in Yuma, Arizona.
After the first round of qualifying on Thursday (for Friday’s event) in Charlotte, I’m guessing you were ready to go home.
We drew kind of late in both fields for qualifying. The wind kind of picked up about halfway through the Friday qualifying and it slowed us down (33rd quick). It hurt us, but we still weren’t as good as we needed to be. There were guys around us who made the invert.
You definitely rebounded in the second round (for Saturday’s event).
I think we were the 51st car out, and to save the weekend, we definitely needed a good qualifying effort. We needed to shake off our first effort in a hurry. We were able to make some good decisions and lay down second quick. That was a good sign for Saturday.
Being 33rd quick really put you behind the 8-ball in a tremendously stacked field on Friday.
Going into Friday, I thought if the track was good enough, we should be able to get in a transfer in the heat and maybe even go for a win. There just wasn’t a ton of passing that early in the night. We passed every car we came to in the heat (finishing sixth) and the B, we just didn’t have any breaks or cautions. We were able to win the C, and then move up to tenth in the B. We got up behind Dale Blaney, who is the second leading feature winner in the country this year. Steve Kinser was in front of him. That kind of shows you how tough it was. Missing in qualifying was a big deal.
You had to have more confidence for Saturday. You started fourth in your heat and just had to finish in the top four to make the Dash.
You have guys behind you like Kraig Kinser, who are more than capable of getting by you into the top four. We were able to get to third, so that was good.
You started up front in the Dash and won that.
We were lucky and got the right invert. That put Paul McMahan and me on the front row. We did well there, and made some small adjustments going into the feature.
You definitely had a great track to run on.
Gary Risch and the whole World Racing Group did a phenomenal job with the track all weekend. They didn’t have to go out one time and rework it. It was multiple lanes wide, and you could go anywhere you wanted.
What was your mindset heading into the finale?
I think sometimes I have thought being in the front row, that if I didn’t win, it was the end of the world. I think you put a lot of pressure on yourself with that mindset. Going into Saturday, I told myself and the guys that if we win it, it’s great. If we get a top two or three finish, that’s going to be great heading into the winter.
Where was your car working best on the track?
We were able to run the top and get out to the lead. We got to traffic and we were able to move around the track a little bit. It just felt that my car was a little better on top. To see (Daryn) Pittman running the bottom, out of the corner of your eye for twelve laps…it tells you that you need to run as hard as you can run without burning the tires off.
He was able to get by you late in the race.
We ran a really clean race. He finally had enough to get by me, and the yellow came out. I thought maybe that was all she wrote. We had a single-file restart with three to go, and I just had to make sure I didn’t spin my tires and get a good run off of four on him. I was going wherever he didn’t. He went to the bottom and I stuck to the top. I got the best corner I probably had the whole race, and got a really good run off of two. I was able to cross him over and get a good run going into three.
Finally, you held them off!
We stayed on the top, and we were finally able to get the win. We have been in that position plenty of times, and I don’t know how many seconds we’ve had. I think every time you run second, you learn a little more. I think sometimes these guys take these World of Outlaws wins for granted. I never will. They are very tough to win. Track changes, double-file restarts, cautions…there are a lot of things that happen in 30 laps. You have to be on your game for all of it.
I know your team is very proud of your accomplishments as well.
I’m just proud of everyone that helps…Chad Morgan and Zac Thomas. Our partners, Casey’s General Stores, FVP, Searsboro Telephone Company, Impact…all of our partners. Charlie Garrett really turned our motor program around three years ago when he came on board. Maxim chassis, Vortex Wings, Schure Built suspension, Pro Shocks, Weld Wheels, Hoosier Tire, MC Power…the list goes on and on. These people have believed in us. Joel at FVP, Bob Myers and Don Lamberti at Casey’s, Don Long, Scott Ritchhart…all of these guys believe in our team. It’s as special for them as it is us.
I know you were racing for more than yourselves last weekend.
I said it on the CBS broadcast, but not on the house P.A. We lost a good friend of ours last week in Billy D. He lost a long battle with cancer. We raced with a heavy heart. To win a race of that magnitude for him was really cool. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
I know you had some special moments at the track after it was all said and done.
What meant more to us than anything is having all the crews and drivers come and congratulate us. The Outlaws were nice enough to give us the banner that goes in front of the car in Victory Lane. I took it down to ask Steve Kinser to sign it. I’ve been asking him for years and years for a helmet, and he gave me the one he used Saturday night. To me…things like that…the money will be gone from this race, the trophy will be there and we will remember, but to have Steve Kinser do something like that... He is a guy who made it possible for me to do this for a job and not a hobby. He was one of my heroes. It means a lot. He’s not going to be a full-time Outlaw next year, and that will be different for everyone. He’s a hero of mine, and it’s an honor to share the track with him anytime. It was an honor to have him do what he did for me, and I’ll always remember it as a racer and as a person.
Your season isn’t over yet. You’re headed for Cocopah Speedway near Yuma this weekend.
I’m looking forward to it. I want to thank Shawn Petersen and the Print Place team for giving me the opportunity. I’m looking forward to working with a Hall of Fame crew chief in Kenny Woodruff. Shawn just recently bought a new Maxim and hopefully, we can get that dialed in. We’re looking forward to going out there and ending the season with ASCS.
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
Other Web site info
Casey's: www.caseys.com
FVP: www.fvpparts.com
Brown’s Bits
Brian’s has fourteen wins in 2014. Six came at the Knoxville Raceway. Two were in 360 competition, one being the 360 Nationals. Four were in 410 competition. One of those came in a Knoxville Nationals prelim. Other wins came at the Jackson (MN) Speedway Sprint Nationals, with the JSTS in Sioux Center, Iowa, at the Front Row Challenge in Oskaloosa, Iowa, at the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly, Missouri, at the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, in the Nebraska Cup at Eagle Raceway, in a prelim at the Short Track Nationals in Little Rock, Arkansas, and of course, at Charlotte last Saturday with the World of Outlaws.
15% off of Enco Tools Purchase!
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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
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:
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• Lowers engine temperature
• Compatible with petroleum and other synthetics
Associate Marketing Partner of the Week – Red Devil Brakes
Brian says – “The braking system is one of the most important parts on the car. Red Devil and Ultralight have not only the strongest, but the lightest brakes out there. It’s the only caliper I will use. I’ve used others, and there is a night and day difference.”
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Brian Brown Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, FVP, Searsboro Telephone Company, MC Power, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps / impact4800.com, Champion Brands, DNA Energy, Ditzfeld Transfer, Maxim Racing, Smiley’s Racing Products, Enco Tools, Weld Wheels, Housby Trucks, www.RateWin.com, Arctic Cat, K&N, www.hostiowa.net, FSR Race Products, TI64, Fuel-Safe Tanks, Wolfe Eye Clinic, Bell Helmets, Hinchman, CP Pistons, Carrillo Rods, Vortex Wings, Penray, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Butler Built Seats, AkzoNobel, Kenny's Components, www.AllDayParts.com, Tru Square, Jack Links, Deli Express, Snap-On Tools, Rod End Supply, KSE Racing Products, Winters Performance, Cometic Gaskets, Shell Shock, Donovan, ISC Racers Tape, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Racing Optics, Mothers Wax, Hoosier Tires, Klein RV, XYZ Machining, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Red Devil Brakes, Schoenfeld Headers, 6B Apparel, Bosch, Garrett Racing Engines, MSD, Moyle Racing Engines, Fortress Wealth Management, Legacy, Flexzilla and WSIB Insurance for all their support!
Zac Thomas, Chad Morgan, Brian and Heather Brown in Victory Lane in Charlotte (Doug Johnson Photo)
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
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